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HCL Connections EUVDEUVD-2026-30798

| CVE-2026-21789 MEDIUM
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)
2026-05-18 HCL GHSA-hx5c-g9jj-chxv
4.6
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: HCL
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate as low-privileged Connections user
  2. Delivery
    Identify vulnerable data-modification workflow
  3. Exploit
    Induce required user interaction or workflow state
  4. Execution
    Submit crafted request bypassing authorization check
  5. Impact
    Modify data outside attacker's authorized scope

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the attacker to hold a valid low-privilege account within the HCL Connections instance (PR:L confirmed by CVSS vector). User interaction is required (UI:R per CVSS vector), meaning the attack cannot be fully automated or executed in isolation - some action by another user or a specific application workflow state must be present. The description's qualifier 'in certain scenarios' indicates the vulnerability is conditional on specific application states or features, though the exact triggering configuration is not disclosed in available data. Exploitation is limited to integrity impact (data modification) with minor confidentiality exposure; availability is not affected. Unauthenticated exploitation is not possible - the PR:L vector requirement rules out anonymous attack paths.

Impact

The 4.6 CVSS Medium score reflects a bounded but real risk profile. The vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R indicates remote network exploitability with low attack complexity, but two important limiting factors reduce real-world risk: the attacker must already hold a valid low-privileged account (PR:L), and user interaction is required (UI:R), suggesting the exploit path may involve social engineering or a triggerable action by another user. Scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact is limited to low confidentiality and low integrity compromise with no availability impact - meaning a successful exploit does not grant full data access or system takeover, only the ability to modify data in restricted scenarios. No EPSS data was provided in the source intelligence, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified. There is no CISA KEV listing and no public POC, which further depresses real-world exploitation probability. The 'certain scenarios' qualifier in the description implies the flaw is not universally triggerable, though the exact triggering conditions are not specified in available data. This is a real integrity risk but not an emergency-tier vulnerability absent additional threat intelligence.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with a valid low-privilege HCL Connections account crafts a request or leverages a specific application workflow that triggers the broken authorization path, potentially inducing another user to perform an action (consistent with UI:R) that bypasses the access check. Upon successful exploitation, the attacker modifies data - such as shared content, profile fields, or community records - that they are not authorized to change. No public exploit code exists at time of analysis, so exploitation likely requires manual discovery of the vulnerable scenario.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – May 18, 2026

Broken access control in HCL Connections exposes an integrity risk where an authenticated low-privileged user can update data outside their intended authorization scope under specific conditions. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R) confirms the attack is network-reachable, requires only low-privilege credentials, and involves some form of user interaction. No public exploit code has been identified and HCL Connections is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, placing this in a moderate-priority remediation tier for most organizations, though environments where data integrity in Connections is business-critical should treat it with elevated urgency.

RemediationAI

Consult the HCL Software advisory KB0129719 at https://support.hcl-software.com/csm?id=kb_article&sysparm_article=KB0129719 for the official patch and version-specific guidance. No exact fixed version was confirmed in the available intelligence data, so 'Patch available per vendor advisory' is the most accurate characterization - verify the specific remediated build directly with HCL. While awaiting patching, organizations should audit access control configurations within HCL Connections to ensure data modification permissions are tightly scoped to intended roles, and review audit logs for anomalous write activity by low-privileged accounts. Restricting low-privileged user access to sensitive collaboration spaces or data objects as a compensating control may reduce exposure, with the trade-off of reduced platform usability for affected users.

Affected VersionsENISA

Connections 8.0

Affected Packages

euvd connections no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

HCL Connections is an enterprise social collaboration platform developed by HCL Software, commonly deployed in large organizational environments for intranets, file sharing, and team collaboration. The root cause is CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), a class of vulnerability where the application performs an authorization check but does so incorrectly - verifying the wrong resource, applying the wrong policy, or skipping the check under edge-case conditions. This is distinct from missing authorization (CWE-862); the check exists but produces a wrong access decision. The CPE string cpe:2.3:a:hclsoftware:connections:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* uses a wildcard version field, indicating HCL has not publicly scoped the vulnerability to a specific version range in NVD data. The tags 'Authentication Bypass' and 'Connections' from the source align with the broken access control classification.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (HCL) PRIMARY 4.6 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

Primary rating from Vendor (HCL) · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorVendor: HCL

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

HCL Connections contains a broken access control vulnerability that may allow unauthorized user to update data in certain scenarios.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 93% exploitable
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

23
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +23
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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