Hackers are actively exploiting Zoho ManageEngine flaw
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-47966 | Unauthenticated SAML RCE in Zoho ManageEngine On-Premise Products CVE-2022-47966 is a critical (CVSS 9.8), unauthenticated remote code execution flaw in roughly two dozen Zoho ManageEngine on-premise products caused by their bundled Apache Santuario xmlsec (XML Security for Java) 1.4.1 library, in which the XSLT features leave security protections to the application and ManageEngine did not provide them. An attacker triggers the flaw by sending a crafted SAML response containing a malicious XSLT transform to the SAML single sign-on (SSO) endpoint; exploitation is only possible if SAML SSO has ever been configured for the product (for some products, SAML SSO must be currently active). Successful exploitation yields arbitrary code execution in the context of the affected ManageEngine application, typically full compromise of the server and a foothold into the wider enterprise network. Any organization running an affected product version with SAML SSO enabled is affected, with internet-exposed ITSM/identity-management servers the most likely targets. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw is in CISA KEV with known ransomware use, Rapid7 reported broad attacker interest, North Korea's Lazarus Group used it to deploy QuiteRAT, and Iranian government-backed actors have targeted U.S. energy and transit-sector organizations. Do: Apply vendor updates immediately, upgrading each installed product to at least the fixed version listed (e.g., ServiceDesk Plus 14004+, ADSelfService Plus 6211+, Endpoint Central/Endpoint Central MSP 10.1.2228.11+, Password Manager Pro 12124+, ServiceDesk Plus MSP 13001+, ADAudit Plus 7081+, ADManager Plus 7162+, AD360 4310+); this is a CISA KEV required action. As an interim mitigation, disable or restrict SAML SSO (or limit access to the product's SSO endpoints), since SAML SSO must have been configured for exploitation. Prioritize patching internet-exposed instances and review those servers for signs of compromise, given documented use by Lazarus Group, ransomware operators, and Iranian nation-state actors. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC ×6 |
| largetens of thousands of installations plausibly affected (thousands of instances internet-exposed), out of ManageEngine's very large on-prem install base |
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Pierluigi Paganini
February 24, 2023
Experts warn of threat actors actively exploiting the critical CVE-2022-47966 (CVSS score: 9.8) flaw in Zoho ManageEngine.
Multiple threat actors are actively exploiting the Zoho ManageEngine CVE-2022-47966 (CVSS score: 9.8) in attacks in the wild, Bitdefender Labs reported.
“Starting on January 20 2023, Bitdefender Labs started to notice a global increase in attacks using the ManageEngine exploit CVE-2022-47966.” reads the report published by Bitdefender Labs.
The CVE-2022-47966 flaw is an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability that impacts multiple Zoho products with SAML SSO enabled in the ManageEngine setup. The issue also impacts products that had the feature enabled in the past.
The root cause of the problem is that ManageEngine products use an outdated third-party dependency, Apache Santuario.
The issue affects tens of products, including Access Manager Plus, ADManager Plus, Password Manager Pro, Remote Access Plus, and Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM).
In Mid-January, Horizon3 researchers released last week a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit for the CVE-2022-47966 along with technical analysis.
Bitdefender Labs reported exploitation attempts shortly after Horizon3 released the proof-of-concept (PoC).
The experts reported that threat actors are targeting victims all over the world in various industries. Most of the attacks targeted entities in Australia, Canada, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Ukraine, the U.K., and the U.S.
The analysis of the experts revealed 2,000 to 4,000 servers accessible from the Internet.
The attacks analyzed by the researchers aimed at deploying Netcat, Cobalt Strike beacon, RAT-el (open-source penetration testing tool) and others on the target systems. Attackers used built-in tools like certutil.exe, bitsadmin.exe, powershell.exe, or curl.exe to drop the malware. Bitdefender has identified four main clusters of attack types and information.
In one of the attacks observed by the experts, the threat actors attempted to install the AnyDesk software and tried to infect the network with the Buhti Ransomware.
One of the attack clusters stands out because it relates to a targeted espionage operation leveraging the PoC exploit.
“This vulnerability is another clear reminder of the importance of keeping systems up to date with the latest security patches while also employing strong perimeter defense,” concludes the report. “Attackers don’t need to scour for new exploits or novel techniques when they know that many organizations are vulnerable to older exploits due, in part, to the lack of proper patch management and risk management.”
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