Experts Warn of Ransomware Hackers Exploiting Atlassian and Apache Flaws
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-22515 | Unauthenticated Broken Access Control in Atlassian Confluence Data Center/Server Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server contain a broken access control flaw (CWE-20) in publicly accessible instances that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to create unauthorized Confluence administrator accounts and gain access to the instance; the associated public PoC is titled 'Atlassian Confluence Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution'. The flaw is triggered over the network (CVSS 3.1 9.8, AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) against any self-managed Confluence instance reachable from the internet, with no privileges or user interaction required. Attackers who exploit it gain administrator-level control of the Confluence instance, and the public PoC demonstrates this extends to unauthenticated code execution. Only self-managed Confluence Data Center and Server deployments are affected; Atlassian Cloud sites hosted on atlassian.net domains are not vulnerable. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added it to the KEV on 2023-10-05 with known ransomware use, EPSS is 99.2%, Atlassian reported a handful of customers were already exploited, and Microsoft warned of nation-state (China-linked) abuse. Do: Patch all internet-facing Confluence Data Center and Server instances to a fixed release per Atlassian's advisory (specific fixed versions are not listed in this data), or restrict public access/discontinue use per CISA's required action. Audit every affected instance for evidence of compromise, especially unauthorized administrator accounts created through this flaw, and report positive findings to CISA. Treat this as urgent given active exploitation by both nation-state actors and ransomware groups. | 9.8 | 99% | KEV ransomware PoC |
| large≈ tens of thousands of internet-exposed Confluence Data Center/Server instances (order of ~30,000-50,000) | |
| CVE-2023-22518 | Improper Authorization in Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server contain an improper authorization flaw (CWE-863) that can be triggered by an unauthenticated attacker sending crafted requests to a vulnerable instance. Successful exploitation gives the attacker control over the instance and can cause significant data loss, such as wiping or resetting the Confluence site, but there is no confidentiality impact because no data can be exfiltrated. Any organization running a self-managed Confluence Data Center or Server deployment is in scope. Exploitation is active: the flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2023-11-07 with ransomware use noted, and EPSS assigns it a 100% probability of exploitation within 30 days. No public proof-of-concept is known, but ransomware operators are already using the flaw in the wild. Do: Upgrade every Confluence Data Center and Server instance to the patched release for your branch listed in Atlassian's advisory, per the CISA KEV required action (apply vendor mitigations or discontinue use). In the interim, restrict internet access to Confluence and check for signs of compromise such as unexpected instance resets, missing data, or ransom notes; restore from backups if data loss is detected. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC |
| large≈70,000+ internet-exposed Confluence instances per public scans, likely 100k+ total self-managed installations | |
| CVE-2023-46604 | Unauthenticated RCE in Apache ActiveMQ via OpenWire Deserialization CVE-2023-46604 is a critical deserialization flaw (CWE-502) in the Java OpenWire protocol marshaller of Apache ActiveMQ that permits unauthenticated remote code execution (CVSS 9.8). An attacker with network access to either a Java-based OpenWire broker or client can manipulate serialized class types in the OpenWire protocol, causing the peer to instantiate arbitrary classes on the classpath and execute arbitrary shell commands. Successful exploitation yields full command execution on the target broker or client, with no authentication or user interaction required. Affected parties include anyone running ActiveMQ broker or Java client versions prior to 5.15.16, 5.16.7, 5.17.6, or 5.18.3, as well as NetApp E-Series products and Debian packages that ship affected ActiveMQ/OpenWire components. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA's KEV on 2023-11-02 with known ransomware use (RansomHub), and has been used to drop Kinsing malware, Godzilla web shells, and the DripDropper implant, in some cases with attackers patching the flaw post-exploitation to lock out competing intruders. Do: Upgrade all ActiveMQ brokers and Java OpenWire clients to 5.15.16, 5.16.7, 5.17.6, or 5.18.3 (or later), and apply the relevant NetApp E-Series and Debian updates for bundled components; restrict the OpenWire port (default TCP 61616) from untrusted networks. Hunt for indicators of the documented campaigns (Godzilla web shells, Kinsing malware, DripDropper, RansomHub) and verify the broker's current version, since attackers have been observed patching the flaw post-exploitation to hide from defenders. The CISA KEV listing means federal agencies must apply vendor mitigations or discontinue use of the product. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC |
| largetens of thousands of internet-exposed OpenWire brokers (order of 10,000–100,000 by public scans), plus uncounted internal deployments and bundled NetApp/Debian… |
Full article401 words · extracted from thehackernews.com · click to collapse
Ravie LakshmananNov 07, 2023Cyber Threat / Malware
Multiple ransomware groups have begun to actively exploit recently disclosed flaws in Atlassian Confluence and Apache ActiveMQ.
Cybersecurity firm Rapid7 said it observed the exploitation of CVE-2023-22518 and CVE-2023-22515 in multiple customer environments, some of which have been leveraged for the deployment of Cerber (aka C3RB3R) ransomware.
Both vulnerabilities are critical, allowing threat actors to create unauthorized Confluence administrator accounts and lead to a loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Atlassian, on November 6, updated its advisory to note that it observed "several active exploits and reports of threat actors using ransomware" and that it is revising the CVSS score of the flaw from 9.1 to 10.0, indicating maximum severity.
The escalation, the Australian company said, is due to the change in the scope of the attack.
Attack chains involve mass exploitation of vulnerable internet-facing Atlassian Confluence servers to fetch a malicious payload hosted on a remote server, leading to the execution of the ransomware payload on the compromised server.
Data gathered by GreyNoise shows that the exploitation attempts are originating from three different IP addresses located in France, Hong Kong, and Russia.
Meanwhile, Arctic Wolf Labs has disclosed that a severe remote code execution flaw impacting Apache ActiveMQ (CVE-2023-46604, CVSS score: 10.0) is being weaponized to deliver a Go-based remote access trojan called SparkRAT as well as a ransomware variant that shares similarities with TellYouThePass.
"Evidence of exploitation of CVE-2023-46604 in the wild from an assortment of threat actors with differing objectives demonstrates the need for rapid remediation of this vulnerability," the cybersecurity firm said.
Update
Huntress, which has also confirmed the active exploitation of the Atlassian flaw starting on November 3, said the attacks pave the way for Cerber ransomware infections.
"In many respects, the above activity represents fairly standard tradecraft for adversaries in e-crime environments, using a combination of legitimate system tools and applications to retrieve payloads for monetization or other purposes," the company said in an analysis published on November 7.
"However, the speed at which this campaign unfolded, with only a few days between the release of a patch and active, in-the-wild exploitation, emphasizes how quickly such adversaries work to identify and take advantage of distribution mechanisms for their wares."
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