Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain high-privilege IEM credentials
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DeliveryConnect to IEM over network
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ExploitCraft request targeting misconfigured privilege boundary
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ExecutionAccess restricted resource beyond original authorization
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ImpactExfiltrate sensitive data
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Least privilege on resource access
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| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires an authenticated attacker with high-level privileges (PR:H) already granted within the HCL IEM application - unauthenticated or low-privileged attackers cannot exploit this directly. The attacker must be able to reach the IEM application over a network (AV:N), so network segmentation isolating IEM management interfaces reduces exposure. High attack complexity (AC:H) indicates that specific, non-default conditions or a particular application state must exist for exploitation to succeed, though the vendor advisory does not detail the precise configuration or workflow required. The CVE description does not specify a particular IEM feature or module that must be enabled; the exact prerequisite configuration condition is not confirmed from available data. Limiting factor: this vulnerability is not exploitable by unauthenticated users or by accounts without pre-existing elevated IEM credentials. |
| Impact | The CVSS base score of 6.6 (Medium) reflects a constrained real-world impact: Attack Complexity is High (AC:H), meaning exploitation requires uncommon conditions or careful preparation, and Privileges Required is High (PR:H), meaning the attacker must already hold significant authenticated access to the IEM platform before attempting exploitation. The primary impact is confidentiality (C:H), with only low integrity impact (I:L) and no availability impact. There is no EPSS score provided, no CISA KEV listing, and no known public exploit code, all of which together suggest this is not currently a priority target for opportunistic attackers. The real-world risk is further constrained by IEM's limited deployment footprint and the requirement for pre-existing high-privilege credentials. The Changed scope signal is notable - it implies some boundary crossing - but without further vendor detail on exactly which resource tiers are reachable, the practical exploitation impact remains uncertain. The discrepancy between PR:H (attacker needs high privilege) and S:C (scope changes to reach elevated resources) may indicate a role-confusion or IDOR-style flaw within the application's authorization model rather than a full system-level privilege escalation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already obtained high-privilege credentials to the HCL IEM platform - whether through credential theft, phishing, or insider access - sends crafted requests to the IEM application over the network that exploit the improperly enforced privilege boundary, gaining access to data or functionality reserved for a higher authorization tier. Because AC:H indicates non-trivial complexity, the attacker likely needs to identify a specific API endpoint, role combination, or application workflow where privilege enforcement is absent or bypassable. No public exploit code is known at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 20, 2026
Privilege escalation in HCL IntelliOps Event Management (IEM) allows an authenticated, high-privileged attacker to access resources beyond their original authorization boundary, achieving confidentiality impact against protected data. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-272 (Least Privilege Violation) with a Changed scope in CVSS, indicating the attacker can reach resources outside their normal privilege domain within the application. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis; the EPSS signal was not provided.
RemediationAI
Review the HCL vendor advisory at https://support.hcl-software.com/csm?id=kb_article&sysparm_article=KB0132456 for the specific patched version of IEM; the exact fix version is not independently confirmed from the available input data - patch version should be verified directly from the vendor advisory. As a compensating control prior to patching, enforce strict role separation within IEM so that high-privileged accounts are limited to the fewest personnel necessary, reducing the pool of accounts that could be used to trigger the flaw. Additionally, review IEM audit logs for anomalous access patterns where lower-tier resources are being accessed by accounts with elevated roles. Restricting network access to the IEM management interface to trusted administrative subnets reduces exposure to network-based exploitation, though note this does not eliminate the vulnerability for internal users.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
HCL IntelliOps Event Management (IEM), identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:hcl_software:iem:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, is an enterprise IT operations management platform. CWE-272 (Least Privilege Violation) describes a class of flaw where a software component operates with more privileges than are necessary, or where privilege boundaries are not correctly enforced between roles. In this case, an already-privileged user can leverage improperly enforced access controls within IEM to reach resources or data normally gated behind a higher privilege tier. The Changed scope (S:C) in the CVSS vector confirms the attacker moves beyond the authorization boundary of their original component, consistent with horizontal or vertical privilege escalation within the application layer. The network attack vector indicates this does not require local system access.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Aligns with provided vector: network-reachable, high-privilege required, high-complexity exploitation, changed scope with high confidentiality and low integrity impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (HCL).
CVSS VectorVendor: HCL
DescriptionCVE.org
HCL IntelliOps Event Management (IEM) is affected by a least privileges violation which could allow an attacker to access the resource with the elevated privilege that could not be accessed with the attacker's original privileges.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Session tokens in HCL IntelliOps Event Management (IEM) versions 1.3 and 1.4 persist as valid on the server after a user
Race condition (CWE-362) in HCL IntelliOps Event Management (IEM) exposes a timing window that a remote, unauthenticated
Insufficient audit logging in HCL IntelliOps Event Management (IEM) allows authenticated network users to probe privileg
Insufficient audit logging in HCL IntelliOps Event Management (IEM) allows an authenticated low-privilege network user t
Missing or insecure Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) headers in HCL IntelliOps Event Management (IEM) expose the app
EUVD-2025-210753
GHSA-8m7h-pjww-w469
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB