Overview
The cybersecurity landscape is a complex and rapidly changing environment. One of the recent vulnerabilities that has caught the attention of professionals in the field is CVE-2024-51768. This significant security flaw affects the HPE AutoPass License Server (APLS), and more specifically, it is related to hsqldb, an open-source relational database management system. With a CVSS Severity Score of 8.0, it’s clear that this vulnerability has a serious potential to compromise systems and lead to data leakage. As HPE APLS is widely used across numerous industries, this flaw has broad potential for exploitation and deserves immediate attention.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2024-51768
Severity: High (CVSS: 8.0)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
HPE AutoPass License Server | Prior to 9.17
How the Exploit Works
The flaw (CVE-2024-51768) resides within the hsqldb database component used by the HPE AutoPass License Server. It enables a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target server without requiring user interaction.
This vulnerability occurs because of improper input validation and insecure deserialization within the hsqldb component. An attacker can send specially crafted malicious data that will be processed by the server. This data can exploit the deserialization flaw to execute arbitrary code under the security context of the server process.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This example does not represent actual exploit code, but rather provides an understanding of the type of malicious input an attacker might send to the server.
POST /hsqldb/deserialize HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-java-serialized-object
{ "serialized_object": "base64_encoded_malicious_object" }In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to an hsqldb endpoint on the server. The body of the request contains a malicious serialized object in Base64 format. When the server processes this object, it triggers the insecure deserialization vulnerability and allows the attacker’s code to be executed.
Mitigation Measures
To protect your systems from this vulnerability, it is strongly recommended to apply the vendor-supplied patch. HPE has released a fix in version 9.17 of the AutoPass License Server. For those who cannot immediately apply the patch, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation by identifying and blocking attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Always remember, timely patching and regular system updates form the cornerstone of effective cybersecurity.