CVE-2024-49147: Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Microsoft Update Catalog Allows Unauthorized Attacker to Elevate Privileges

In recent years, a vulnerability was discovered in the Microsoft Update Catalog (CVE-2024-49147) that allows an unauthorized attacker to exploit a system based on deserialization of untrusted data. This vulnerability allows the attacker to elevate their privileges on the website's web server, which has the potential to lead to further exploitation of the system. In this post, we will discuss the details surrounding this vulnerability and examine the code snippet that demonstrates this exploit.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability revolves around the Microsoft Update Catalog using insecure deserialization practices when handling user-provided data. Deserialization is a process where a system converts a string of bytes or a data stream into a usable object. When deserialization is performed on untrusted data, it can lead to a security vulnerability if not correctly validated. In this case, an attacker can send malicious serialized data to the webserver which, when deserialized, can lead to unintended behavior and ultimately elevate the attacker's privileges.

The core issue is that the Microsoft Update Catalog is deserializing untrusted data without proper validation, allowing an attacker to craft malicious input that will be accepted by the website’s webserver. With the elevated privileges, attackers can gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or even execute remote code, which can lead to a full system compromise.

*Original references for this vulnerability:*
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-49147
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-us/vulnerability/CVE-2024-49147

*Code snippet demonstrating the exploit:*

import requests
import base64

url = "https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Home.aspx";
data = "SerializedData"  # Replace with crafted malicious serialized data
headers = {
    "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.",
    "Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded",
    "X-Request-With": "XMLHttpRequest"
}

payload = {"SerializedPayload": base64.b64encode(data)}
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=payload)

if response.status_code == 200:
    print("Exploit Successful")
else:
    print("Exploit Failed: Server returned status code", response.status_code)

In the above code, an attacker needs to create a malicious serialized data payload and replace the "SerializedData" placeholder with their crafted input. This payload is then base64 encoded and sent as a POST request to the Microsoft Update Catalog's webserver.

Mitigation Strategies

Microsoft released a patch for this vulnerability in a recent security update. Website administrators should apply the patch as soon as possible to mitigate this issue. Additionally, web developers should use secure coding principles and perform strict validation when deserializing user-provided data.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-49147, a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in the Microsoft Update Catalog, allows an attacker to remotely exploit a system by gaining elevated privileges on the website's web server. Microsoft has released a patch to address this vulnerability, and website administrators should apply the patch promptly to reduce the risks associated with this issue.

Timeline

Published on: 12/12/2024 19:15:13 UTC