CVE-2022-37396: Critical Vulnerability in JetBrains Rider Before 2022.2 Allows Bypassing Trust and Open Project Dialog, Leading to Local Code Execution

Recently, a critical vulnerability has been identified in JetBrains Rider before 2022.2, which allows attackers to bypass the Trust and Open Project dialog, leading to local code execution. This post aims to provide an in-depth understanding of this vulnerability (CVE-2022-37396) by examining its details, possible exploits, and discussing the ways to mitigate the risks associated with it.

What is JetBrains Rider?

JetBrains Rider is a popular cross-platform IDE developed for .NET programming languages. It is famous for providing advanced support for various languages and frameworks like C#, F#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, Unity, and Xamarin. JetBrains regularly releases updates to fix security issues, enhance performance, and introduce new features to enhance the users' experience. However, like any other software, Rider is not immune to vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited by malicious actors.

Vulnerability Details: CVE-2022-37396

CVE ID: CVE-2022-37396
Severity: Critical
Affected versions: JetBrains Rider before 2022.2

The vulnerability resides in the Trust and Open Project dialog. In the affected versions, malicious actors can bypass this security measure, allowing them to execute arbitrary code on the victim's local machine. This can lead to unauthorized access, data theft, and possible system compromise.

Exploit Details

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious Rider project file with the extension .idea. When the unsuspecting target user opens the malicious project file, the IDE does not display the Trust and Open Project dialog, leading to automatic project execution, including any potentially harmful code embedded in it.

The following code snippet demonstrates a simple example of a malicious code injected into the Rider project file:

<!-- Malicious_code.idea -->
<?xml version="1." encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project version="4">
  <component name="ProjectRootElement">
    <option name="projectName" value="MaliciousProject" />
    <option name="_executeOnLoad" value="cmd /c <malicious_command_to_execute>" />
  </component>
</project>

In this example, the _executeOnLoad option is used to execute an arbitrary command through the cmd shell. Replace <malicious_command_to_execute> with the desired command to execute when the project is loaded.

Links to Original References

- CVE-2022-37396 Official Record
- JetBrains Security Bulletin

Mitigation Measures

To protect yourself from this vulnerability, it is strongly recommended to update your JetBrains Rider IDE to version 2022.2 or later. JetBrains has addressed this issue in the latest version, making it safe to use. To check your current Rider version and update it, follow these steps:

Check the version number under "About JetBrains Rider."

4. If the version is earlier than 2022.2, select "Check for Updates" in the Help menu to download and install the latest version.

Apart from updating the IDE, users should be cautious when opening Rider project files from unknown sources. Always verify the source of the project files and, if possible, inspect them for malicious content before importing them into your development environment.

Conclusion

The CVE-2022-37396 vulnerability in JetBrains Rider poses a significant security risk, allowing attackers to bypass a crucial security feature and execute malicious code in the local environment. To ensure the safety of your systems, it is critical to update the Rider IDE to the latest version (2022.2 or later) and be cautious when dealing with projects from untrusted sources. Stay vigilant and keep your software up-to-date to minimize the risks associated with such vulnerabilities.

Timeline

Published on: 08/03/2022 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 08/10/2022 15:22:00 UTC