CVE-2024-8963 - Ivanti CSA Path Traversal Vulnerability: What You Need to Know

CVE-2024-8963 is a security issue that affects the Ivanti CSA software versions before 4.6 Patch 519, and it's causing IT admins sleepless nights. But don't worry, we're here to make things clear for you. This critical vulnerability can be exploited by a remote unauthenticated attacker (someone who doesn’t even have a valid account on the target system) to access restricted functionality within Ivanti CSA.

In this in-depth post, we'll cover what CVE-2024-8963 is, the vulnerable software, demonstrate a code snippet of the vulnerability, and provide links to the original references. Finally, we'll discuss the exploit details and what you can do to protect your Ivanti CSA from this vulnerability.

Vulnerable Software

Ivanti CSA is a Configuration Server Appliance that helps IT professionals automate administrative tasks and manage their servers. If you're using an Ivanti CSA version before 4.6 Patch 519, then your software is vulnerable to CVE-2024-8963, which is a path traversal vulnerability.

Vulnerability Details

Path traversal vulnerabilities occur when an attacker can manipulate a target system to gain unauthorized access to restricted files and directories. In this case, CVE-2024-8963 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to reach sensitive information in the Ivanti CSA by navigating through its directories.

Let's see a code snippet of how this vulnerability could be exploited

import requests

# Replace [target] with the target Ivanti CSA instance
target = "http://[target]/";

# Exploit the path traversal vulnerability to access a sensitive file like /etc/passwd
path_to_sensitive_file = "../../../../../../../../etc/passwd"
path_traversal_url = target + "restricted/path/in/CSA/" + path_to_sensitive_file

response = requests.get(path_traversal_url)

if response.status_code == 200:
    print("The sensitive file content is:")
    print(response.text)
else:
    print("An error occurred while trying to access the sensitive file.")

Original References

- Ivanti has acknowledged this vulnerability and provided a security advisory, which can be found here: Ivanti Security Advisory
- The CVE entry for this vulnerability provides more information: CVE-2024-8963 CVE Entry

Exploit Details

By exploiting CVE-2024-8963, a remote unauthenticated attacker can gain unauthorized access to restricted functionality in the Ivanti CSA. This means that an attacker can read sensitive files, execute malicious scripts, and potentially gain full control of the vulnerable CSA system.

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker may issue crafted HTTP requests containing a manipulated file path, which allows them to traverse the CSA's directory structure. This could allow them to access restricted or otherwise protected files, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data or system configurations.

Protecting Your Ivanti CSA

To protect your Ivanti CSA from this path traversal vulnerability, you should immediately apply the Ivanti CSA 4.6 Patch 519 or any later version if available. This update addresses the CVE-2024-8963 vulnerability and ensures your Ivanti CSA is no longer susceptible to attacks exploiting this issue.

Wrapping Up

CVE-2024-8963 is a critical path traversal vulnerability affecting Ivanti CSA software versions before 4.6 Patch 519. By exploiting this vulnerability, a remote unauthenticated attacker can gain unauthorized access to restricted functionality, sensitive data, and even gain full control of the vulnerable CSA system. To protect your Ivanti CSA, apply the 4.6 Patch 519 as soon as possible. Stay safe and secure, and don't let vulnerabilities leave your IT environment open to attacks.

Timeline

Published on: 09/19/2024 18:15:10 UTC
Last modified on: 09/20/2024 16:32:02 UTC