CVE-2024-6327: Exploring the Insecure Deserialization Vulnerability in In Progress Telerik Report Server and Remote Code Execution

Security researchers have discovered a critical vulnerability in the In Progress Telerik Report Server prior to version 2024 Q2 (10.1.24.709), which may lead to remote code execution attacks. This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-6327, is related to insecure deserialization, a common issue in software applications that could allow attackers to execute malicious code remotely.

In this post, we'll explore the details of this vulnerability and provide code snippets and references to help you understand its implications and protect your systems against potential attacks.

Description

Insecure deserialization is a security weakness that occurs when applications deserialize data from untrusted sources without proper validation. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to manipulate the application's logic, crash the system, or even execute arbitrary code.

In the case of Telerik Report Server, this vulnerability can be exploited by sending a specially crafted serialized object to a vulnerable endpoint, which then deserializes the object and may result in remote code execution.

Code Snippet

To demonstrate this vulnerability, let's take a look at a pseudo-code example that simulates the insecure deserialization process:

import pickle
import sys

class VulnerableEndpoint:
    def deserialize(self, serialized_data):
        return pickle.loads(serialized_data)

def malicious_payload():
    print("Remote code execution!")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    serialized_data = sys.argv[1]
    obj = VulnerableEndpoint()

    # Deserialize the serialized_data without proper validation
    result = obj.deserialize(serialized_data)
    print(result)

In this example, the attacker could create a serialized object containing the malicious payload and send it to the deserialize() method. When the unvalidated serialized_data is deserialized, the malicious_payload() function is executed, simulating remote code execution.

Identify a vulnerable version of Telerik Report Server (prior to 2024 Q2 10.1.24.709).

2. Craft a serialized object that contains the malicious payload, similar to the example given in the code snippet.
3. Send the serialized object to the vulnerable endpoint, which might be embedded in an HTTP request or a web form.
4. Upon successful deserialization of the malicious object, the attacker's code is executed on the server, leading to remote code execution.

References

- Telerik Report Server's Official Release Notes: Link
- National Vulnerability Database (NVD) Entry for CVE-2024-6327: Link
- CVE Details Page for CVE-2024-6327: Link

Mitigation

To protect your Telerik Report Server from this vulnerability, it is highly recommended to upgrade your software to version 2024 Q2 (10.1.24.709) or later, as this version contains a fix for this insecure deserialization issue.

If upgrading immediately is not possible, restricting access to the vulnerable endpoint and applying strict input validation on deserialized data may help to mitigate potential attacks. However, upgrading to the fixed version remains the most effective solution.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-6327 is a critical vulnerability in In Progress Telerik Report Server, which could lead to remote code execution attacks if left unaddressed. It is crucial to stay up-to-date with software security updates and patches to reduce the risk of exploitation. Be sure to verify the security of your applications regularly and follow best practices to avoid introducing potential vulnerabilities in your systems.

Timeline

Published on: 07/24/2024 14:15:06 UTC
Last modified on: 07/26/2024 13:03:00 UTC