CVE-2024-21764: Rapid SCADA Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2024-21764 Overview

CVE-2024-21764 is a hardcoded credentials vulnerability affecting Rapid Software LLC's Rapid SCADA, an open-source industrial automation platform used in SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems. In versions prior to 5.8.4, the product uses hard-coded credentials, which may allow an attacker to connect to a specific port and gain unauthorized access to the system.

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials), a critical security weakness that bypasses normal authentication mechanisms. Hard-coded credentials in industrial control systems (ICS) environments represent a severe security risk as they cannot be easily changed and are often discoverable through reverse engineering or documentation analysis.

Critical Impact

Attackers can leverage hard-coded credentials to gain unauthorized network access to Rapid SCADA systems, potentially enabling complete system compromise, data manipulation, or disruption of industrial control operations.

Affected Products

• Rapid SCADA versions prior to 5.8.4
• rapidscada rapid_scada (all configurations)
• Industrial control systems running vulnerable Rapid SCADA deployments

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-02-02 - CVE-2024-21764 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-21764

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists because Rapid SCADA versions prior to 5.8.4 contain hard-coded credentials embedded directly within the application. This authentication bypass vulnerability allows remote attackers to connect to the application on a specific network port using these static credentials without proper authorization.

Hard-coded credentials are particularly dangerous in SCADA/ICS environments because these systems often control critical infrastructure and industrial processes. Once an attacker discovers the credentials (through reverse engineering, source code analysis, or leaked documentation), they can authenticate to any vulnerable Rapid SCADA installation using the same credentials.

The vulnerability has a network attack vector with low complexity, requiring no privileges or user interaction to exploit. Successful exploitation can result in complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-21764 is the improper security practice of embedding static authentication credentials directly into the application's source code or configuration files. This design flaw (CWE-798) violates security best practices that require unique, configurable credentials for each deployment.

In the context of Rapid SCADA, these credentials likely allow access to administrative functions or communication ports used for system control and data exchange, making the impact particularly severe for industrial environments.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based. An attacker with network access to a vulnerable Rapid SCADA installation can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Identifying an exposed Rapid SCADA service on the network
2. Using the hard-coded credentials to authenticate to the specific port
3. Gaining unauthorized access to the SCADA system with the privileges associated with those credentials

The vulnerability does not require any special privileges, user interaction, or complex attack chains, making it highly exploitable for any attacker who can reach the vulnerable service over the network.

Since no verified code examples are available for this vulnerability, the exploitation mechanism involves discovering the hard-coded credentials through analysis of the Rapid SCADA application and using them to authenticate to the vulnerable service. The CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-24-011-03 provides additional technical details and guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-21764

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected authentication attempts or successful logins to Rapid SCADA services from unknown IP addresses
• Network connections to Rapid SCADA ports from external or unauthorized internal sources
• Configuration changes or data modifications without corresponding legitimate administrative activity
• Unusual process spawning or command execution originating from Rapid SCADA processes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor network traffic for connections to Rapid SCADA services from untrusted networks
• Implement anomaly detection for authentication patterns, specifically looking for credential usage from new or unusual source addresses
• Deploy network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) with rules to identify Rapid SCADA protocol traffic from unauthorized sources
• Audit authentication logs for signs of credential abuse or brute-force attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging for all authentication attempts to Rapid SCADA services
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect cross-zone communication attempts targeting SCADA systems
• Configure alerts for any successful authentication to Rapid SCADA from non-whitelisted IP addresses
• Utilize SentinelOne's Singularity platform to monitor endpoint activity on systems running Rapid SCADA

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-21764

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Rapid SCADA to version 5.8.4 or later immediately
• Implement network segmentation to isolate SCADA systems from untrusted networks
• Deploy firewall rules to restrict access to Rapid SCADA ports to only authorized management stations
• Review access logs for any signs of unauthorized access using the hard-coded credentials
• Conduct a security assessment of all Rapid SCADA deployments in your environment

Patch Information

Rapid Software LLC has addressed this vulnerability in Rapid SCADA version 5.8.4. Organizations should upgrade to this version or later to remediate the hard-coded credentials vulnerability. For additional information, contact the vendor through their official contact page or review the CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-24-011-03 for detailed guidance.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network segmentation to prevent unauthorized network access to Rapid SCADA systems
• Deploy application-layer firewalls or VPNs to control access to SCADA ports
• Enable network monitoring and intrusion detection to identify exploitation attempts
• Consider taking vulnerable systems offline if they cannot be immediately upgraded and are exposed to untrusted networks

# Network segmentation example - restrict access to Rapid SCADA ports
# Replace SCADA_PORT with the actual port number used by your deployment
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport SCADA_PORT -s TRUSTED_MANAGEMENT_IP -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport SCADA_PORT -j DROP