A vulnerability has been discovered in HCL BigFix Inventory that can allow an attacker with read-only access to potentially change certain application configuration parameters. This vulnerability, CVE-2024-42194, specifically impacts the way permissions and privileges are handled in the said application, resulting in the improper control of access rights for specific REST API calls. In this post, we will thoroughly discuss the CVE-2024-42194 exploit details, provide code snippets demonstrating the issue, and share links to original references for further information.

Exploit Details

For those unfamiliar with HCL BigFix Inventory, it is a software discovery and inventory tool designed to help organizations monitor, analyze, and manage their IT infrastructure. When integrating user authentication and authorization, BigFix Inventory provides different levels of access control, with the lowest level being the read-only account. Due to the vulnerability, these read-only accounts gain the ability to change specific configuration parameters through carefully crafted REST API calls.

Proof of Concept

Exploiting this vulnerability involves making a malicious REST API call to the HCL BigFix Inventory server to modify a given configuration parameter. For instance, an attacker aims to modify the application's licensing functionality by sending a PATCH request to the /api/configs endpoint.

A sample malicious request could look like this (replace your-server.com, api-key, and value-to-change with appropriate values):

curl -X PATCH \
  https://your-server.com/api/configs \
  -H 'apikey: api-key' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '[
      {
        "config_property_id": "license.status",
        "value": "value-to-change"
      }
]'

If the application is vulnerable, the server will successfully process the request, and the configuration parameters will be altered.

Impact

Successful exploitation of the CVE-2024-42194 vulnerability can give unauthorized, limited-access users the capacity to manipulate application settings and disrupt regular operations. This can lead to the compromise of data, increased attack surface, and, ultimately, damage to an organization's reputation and business dealings.

Mitigation

HCL has been notified of this vulnerability, and it is recommended that users of BigFix Inventory apply updates or patches as soon as they are made available. As a temporary solution, organizations should audit their user accounts, restrict access to the application to only the necessary personnel, and ensure that they monitor their environments for any suspicious activity.

Original references for this vulnerability can be found at the following sources

- CVE-2024-42194 - National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- HCL software product advisories

Keep an eye out for further updates, as HCL is likely to release patches or mitigations to address this vulnerability in the future.

In conclusion, CVE-2024-42194 is a potentially severe, improper permission handling vulnerability in HCL BigFix Inventory that can enable attackers to modify application configuration parameters using read-only accounts. It is crucial for administrators to be aware of this issue and take the necessary steps to improve security and maintain the confidentiality and integrity of their systems.

Timeline

Published on: 12/17/2024 18:15:23 UTC