CVE-2024-21315: A Detailed Analysis of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Protection Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

In today's world of cybersecurity, ensuring the safety and protection of your organization's assets has become crucial. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Protection is a popular product that provides enterprise endpoint security, protecting your systems from threats. However, in this post, we will explore a vulnerability called CVE-2024-21315, which highlights an elevation of privilege (EoP) vulnerability in the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Protection. We will be providing a deep dive into the types of attack scenarios and possible mitigations to better protect your organization.

Overview of CVE-2024-21315

CVE-2024-21315, as defined in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database, refers to an elevation of privilege vulnerability that exists within Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Protection. This vulnerability can allow an attacker to leverage the EoP to execute arbitrary actions and commands without needing administrative rights.

A successful exploit of this vulnerability could lead to an attacker having access to sensitive information, manipulation of system configurations, or even the complete compromise of the targeted system.

Code Snippet of Vulnerability

It is important to understand how this vulnerability came to be in the first place. The following code snippet illustrates an example of how the vulnerability could be exploited by a threat actor.

#include <windows.h>

int main() {
  PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
  STARTUPINFOA si = {};

  // Specifying the lpCurrentDirectory parameter to force Defender to load the DLL from the attacker's path
  CreateProcessA("C:\Program Files\Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Protection\Application\Defender.exe", NULL, NULL, NULL, FALSE, , NULL, "C:\Attacker_Controlled_Path", &si, &pi);

  // Malicious code to exploit the vulnerability
  // ...

  return ;
}

This code snippet demonstrates how an attacker could exploit CVE-2024-21315 to force Microsoft Defender to load a malicious DLL from an attacker-controlled path. With successful exploitation, this may lead to a wide range of potential impacts.

Original References

More information about CVE-2024-21315 can be found on the official sources, such as the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) and the Microsoft Security Advisory page.

Exploit Details

Attack scenarios can vary depending on the attacker's goals and the targeted system. The primary attack vector for this vulnerability is through a local attacker's accounts on the compromised endpoint.

The attacker needs to have previously compromised the device using another vulnerability or has gained access to the target's system already. With the right conditions in place, the attacker can exploit this vulnerability and gain elevated access to the target system.

Possible Mitigations

In order to remediate this vulnerability and protect your systems, it is essential to follow the recommended best practices from Microsoft. These steps include:

1. Applying the latest available updates to keep your Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Protection instance up to date with security patches.
2. Restricting user account access by adhering to the principle of least privilege (POLP) to limit the potential attack surface.
3. Monitoring and analyzing logs for any unusual activity that could be indicative of exploitation attempts.
4. Regularly educating users about potential threats, phishing schemes, and good security practices can help prevent initial system compromise.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CVE-2024-21315 is a significant vulnerability that requires proactive remediation and management to address the potential risks associated with the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Protection product. By understanding, analyzing, and applying security updates, organizations can better safeguard themselves from the potential impacts of this vulnerability and maintain a more secure enterprise environment.

Timeline

Published on: 02/13/2024 18:15:48 UTC
Last modified on: 02/13/2024 18:23:02 UTC