CVE-2024-21672: Unpatched Confluence Data Center and Server Prone to High-Risk Remote Code Execution

Overview

The CVE-2024-21672 is a high-severity remote code execution vulnerability affecting the Confluence Data Center and Server. This vulnerability, introduced in version 2.1.0, allows an unauthenticated attacker to remotely execute code on vulnerable systems. The implications of this vulnerability are significant, as it exposes sensitive assets to potential exploitation. This not only threatens data confidentiality and integrity but also impacts system availability. All users of Confluence Data Center and Server are urged to take immediate action to mitigate the risk posed by this vulnerability.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-21672
Severity: High (CVSS Score: 8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Confluence Data Center and Server | 2.1.0 – 7.19
Confluence Data Center and Server | 2.1.0 – 8.5
Confluence Data Center and Server | 2.1.0 – 8.7

How the Exploit Works

An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could send a specially crafted request to the server that houses the Confluence Data Center and Server. Given the right conditions, this request could trigger a sequence of events leading to arbitrary code execution on the server. The attacker does not need to authenticate with the server to exploit this vulnerability.

Conceptual Example Code

Here is a hypothetical example of how the vulnerability could be exploited. Note that this example does not represent an actual exploit:

POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "malicious_payload": "..." }

In this example, the attacker sends a JSON object containing a malicious payload to a vulnerable endpoint on the target server. If the server is vulnerable and the conditions are right, the server could execute the malicious payload, providing the attacker with unauthorized access or control over the server.

Recommended Mitigations

Atlassian recommends an immediate upgrade to the latest Confluence Data Center and Server version. If upgrading to the latest version is not possible, users should update to a supported release with the fix. If neither is possible, temporary mitigation measures such as implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can help protect your system from exploit attempts.