THN Cybersecurity Recap: Top Threats, Tools and News (Oct 14

CVE-2024-23113 is a use of externally-controlled format string (CWE-134) in multiple Fortinet products, allowing an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands by sending specially crafted packets to an affected device. The flaw carries a critical CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8 (network vector, no privileges or user interaction required, high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability). It affects FortiOS 7.0.0 through 7.0.13, 7.2.0 through 7.2.6, and 7.4.0 through 7.4.2; FortiProxy 7.0.0 through 7.0.14, 7.2.0 through 7.2.8, and 7.4.0 through 7.4.2; FortiPAM 1.0.0 through 1.0.3, 1.1.0 through 1.1.2, and 1.2.0; and FortiSwitchManager 7.0.0 through 7.0.3 and 7.2.0 through 7.2.3. CISA added the vulnerability to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2024-10-09 and warns it is likely being exploited in the wild, though no public proof-of-concept is known. Scanning coverage reported in the trade press indicates roughly 87,000 or more internet-exposed Fortinet devices remained vulnerable and open to attack after disclosure.

Do: Upgrade affected FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiPAM, and FortiSwitchManager deployments to a patched release per Fortinet's advisory, since the data does not specify fixed build numbers. Until patching is complete, restrict management interface access to trusted sources, minimize internet exposure of affected devices, and verify your version falls within the affected ranges above. Treat this as an actively exploited vulnerability per CISA's KEV listing (added 2024-10-09) and prioritize it accordingly.

SolarWinds Web Help Desk (WHD) contains hard-coded credentials (CWE-798): fixed, built-in authentication material embedded in the shipped software. Because the same credentials exist on every WHD installation, a remote attacker who knows them can authenticate to WHD without any user account, with no privileges or user interaction required (CVSS 3.1 9.1, AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). Successful use grants access to internal WHD functionality and the ability to modify data, with high confidentiality and integrity impact but no availability impact. Any organization running an unpatched WHD instance is affected, particularly internet-exposed deployments such as those operated by managed service providers and enterprise IT service desks. The flaw is being actively exploited in the wild: CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2024-10-15 (ransomware use not yet reported), EPSS assigns a 93.2% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile), and no public proof-of-concept was known at the time of this record.

Do: Upgrade all WHD instances to the patched SolarWinds release that includes the October 2024 fix for CVE-2024-28987 (check the SolarWinds PSIRT advisory for the exact fixed version, e.g., WHD 12.8.4 or later); the required KEV action applies, and U.S. federal agencies must remediate by November 5, 2024. Prioritize internet-exposed WHD servers: restrict network access to the help desk interface/API until patched and review logs for unauthenticated access using built-in credentials, since exploitation is confirmed in the wild. If patching is not possible, apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product, as CISA recommends.

CVE-2024-30088 is a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the Microsoft Windows kernel (CWE-367) that allows a local, low-privileged attacker to elevate to SYSTEM-level privileges. Because it is a timing race with high attack complexity, exploitation requires locally executing crafted code that repeatedly races the kernel's validation of a resource, but no user interaction is needed and the attacker only needs the ability to already run code on the target. Successful exploitation grants full control of the local machine (high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact), which attackers typically chain after initial access or another flaw to gain complete host compromise. Virtually all supported Windows 10 and Windows 11 client releases and Windows Server 2016 through 2022 23H2 are affected if unpatched. The flaw is confirmed exploited in the wild: CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2024-10-15 with known ransomware use, Iran-linked OilRig used it in an espionage campaign targeting UAE and Gulf governments, and EPSS assigns a ~68% probability of exploitation within 30 days (99th percentile).

Do: Apply the Windows cumulative security update for CVE-2024-30088 from Microsoft's advisory on every affected Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server release (the fix shipped in Microsoft's June 2024 monthly security updates; confirm your build number against the advisory). Prioritize multi-user hosts, RDP/jump servers, and endpoints where untrusted users or code run, since this is a local privilege escalation used post-compromise — check endpoint logs for suspicious local process activity coinciding with privilege changes. Consistent with the CISA KEV required action (added 2024-10-15), patch promptly per vendor instructions or discontinue use of affected builds if patching is not possible.

CVE-2024-38178 is a memory corruption flaw (CWE-843 type confusion) in the Microsoft Windows Scripting Engine that allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code. Exploitation is triggered when a user is lured into opening a specially crafted URL, so no prior authentication or network access to the target is required. A successful attack gains remote code execution, typically in the context of the fooled user's privileges. Any supported Microsoft Windows system with the scripting engine is affected, per CISA's listing of 'Microsoft Windows'. The vulnerability is confirmed to be exploited in the wild: CISA added it to the KEV catalog on 2024-08-13, coinciding with Microsoft's August 2024 Patch Tuesday, and EPSS assigns a high 41.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Do: Apply Microsoft's August 2024 Windows cumulative security updates immediately, prioritizing internet-facing and high-value systems, and verify patch levels against the KBs released 2024-08-13. As interim mitigation, limit user exposure to untrusted links and consider restricting or disabling legacy scripting/IE-mode rendering where business needs allow. No public PoC is known, but KEV listing confirms active exploitation, so hunt for anomalous process spawns from browsing/link-opening activity and apply CISA's required action of vendor mitigations or discontinuing use.

Veeam Backup & Replication contains a deserialization of untrusted data flaw (CWE-502) that allows an unauthenticated attacker to send a maliciously crafted serialized payload to the product's network-facing service and achieve remote code execution, with no privileges or user interaction required (CVSS 3.1: 9.8). Successful exploitation yields full code execution on the backup server with high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability, and is especially valuable to attackers because backup infrastructure typically stores credentials and ransomware operators seek to destroy or encrypt backups before attacking production systems. Any organization running Veeam Backup & Replication is in scope; the provided data does not specify exact affected version ranges, so consult Veeam's advisory for the affected/fixed builds. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA's KEV on 2024-10-17 with known ransomware use, a public proof-of-concept has been published by watchTowr, EPSS estimates a 90.4% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile), and the exploit has been reused in Frag ransomware attacks.

Do: Apply Veeam's security updates immediately (the vendor released fixes for 18 flaws, including 5 critical ones); per the KEV required action, apply mitigations per Veeam's instructions or discontinue use if mitigations are unavailable. Until patched, restrict network access to the backup server from untrusted networks and remove unnecessary internet exposure. Given confirmed ransomware exploitation, also hunt for signs of compromise on backup servers and review backup job integrity and stored credentials.

This issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15. On MDM managed devices, an app may be able to bypass certain Privacy preferences.

CVE-2024-8963 is a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) in the Ivanti Cloud Services Appliance (CSA), a virtual appliance used to remotely manage Ivanti Endpoint Manager environments. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can send crafted requests containing directory traversal sequences to reach restricted functionality without any credentials. Successful exploitation grants access to restricted (including administrative) functions on the appliance, and public reporting indicates it has been chained with other CSA zero-day flaws by nation-state attackers to infiltrate networks. All CSA 4.6.x releases before Patch 519 are affected, and the 4.6.x product line has reached end-of-life, meaning future 4.6.x vulnerabilities will not receive fixes. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2024-09-19, and multiple outlets report Chinese-linked actors exploiting CSA zero-days against French government, telecom and other critical-infrastructure targets.

Do: Upgrade CSA 4.6.x to Patch 519 or later, or move to the supported 5.0.x line; because 4.6.x is end-of-life, CISA urges removing CSA 4.6.x from service or migrating to 5.0.x rather than relying on future 4.6.x patches. Until patched, restrict or remove internet exposure of CSA appliances and review logs for unauthenticated access to restricted functionality, since this flaw is being chained with other CSA vulnerabilities in targeted intrusions.

An issue was discovered in GitLab EE affecting all versions starting from 12.5 prior to 17.2.9, starting from 17.3, prior to 17.3.5, and starting from 17.4 prior to 17.4.2, which allows running pipelines on arbitrary branches.

A security issue was discovered in the Kubernetes Image Builder versions <= v0.1.37 where default credentials are enabled during the image build process. Virtual machine images built using the Proxmox provider do not disable these default credentials, and nodes using the resulting images may be accessible via these default credentials. The credentials can be used to gain root access. Kubernetes clusters are only affected if their nodes use VM images created via the Image Builder project with its Proxmox provider.

CVE-2024-9487 is an improper verification of cryptographic signature flaw (CWE-347) in GitHub Enterprise Server that allows SAML SSO authentication to be bypassed. Exploitation requires the encrypted assertions feature to be enabled, direct network access to the instance, and a signed SAML response or metadata document supplied by the attacker. A successful attack results in unauthorized provisioning of users and unauthorized access to the instance. All GitHub Enterprise Server versions prior to 3.15 are affected, with fixes shipped in 3.11.16, 3.12.10, 3.13.5, and 3.14.2. No public proof-of-concept or confirmed in-the-wild exploitation is known yet, but EPSS assigns a 25.6% probability of exploitation within 30 days (98th percentile), indicating elevated risk.

Do: Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.14.2, 3.13.5, 3.12.10, or 3.11.16 (or any 3.15+ release). Administrators who cannot patch immediately should verify whether SAML SSO with encrypted assertions is enabled, limit direct network access to the instance, and review user provisioning logs for unexpected accounts. This flaw was reported via the GitHub Bug Bounty program and is not yet in CISA KEV.