CVE-2024-33500 Overview
CVE-2024-33500 is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Siemens Mendix Applications. The flaw allows users with role management capabilities to elevate the access rights of users assigned to that role. Successful exploitation requires the attacker to guess the identifier of a target role containing elevated permissions. The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-269] Improper Privilege Management and impacts Mendix 9 and Mendix 10 application runtimes.
Critical Impact
Authenticated users with role management permissions can escalate other users' access rights by guessing the internal identifier of a privileged role, bypassing intended access control boundaries.
Affected Products
- Mendix Applications using Mendix 10 (All versions < V10.11.0)
- Mendix Applications using Mendix 10 (V10.6) (All versions < V10.6.9)
- Mendix Applications using Mendix 9 (All versions >= V9.3.0 < V9.24.22)
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-06-11 - CVE-2024-33500 published to NVD
- 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-33500
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the role management functionality of the Mendix runtime. Applications built on affected Mendix versions fail to properly validate whether a user managing roles has the authority to assign the specific elevated role being granted. An authenticated user with delegated role management rights can therefore grant a target user access to a higher-privileged role than they themselves possess.
Exploitation depends on the attacker guessing the internal identifier of a privileged role. Because role identifiers are not user-facing values, the attack requires reconnaissance or brute forcing of the role id space. Once a valid id is determined, the role assignment proceeds without an authorization check against the calling user's own privilege level.
The attack vector is network-based and requires high privileges, since the actor must already possess the capability to manage at least one role. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality and integrity of the application by granting unintended access to protected resources and data.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper privilege management [CWE-269]. The Mendix runtime trusts that any role identifier supplied to the role assignment routine is one the caller is authorized to grant, rather than verifying the caller's own permission scope against the target role.
Attack Vector
An authenticated user with role management capability submits a role assignment request referencing the identifier of a more privileged role. The runtime applies the assignment without validating the caller's authority over the target role, elevating the recipient's access rights. No code is required to describe further; see the Siemens Security Advisory SSA-540640 for vendor-supplied technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-33500
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected role assignment events in Mendix application audit logs, especially assignments to administrative or high-privilege roles.
- Users gaining access to modules, microflows, or entities they previously could not invoke.
- Sequential or brute-force patterns of role assignment API calls indicating role id enumeration.
Detection Strategies
- Audit the Mendix system$user and role membership tables for recent changes and compare against approved change tickets.
- Review application logs for role assignment operations performed by accounts that hold only delegated, non-administrative role management rights.
- Correlate authentication events with subsequent privilege-sensitive actions performed by newly elevated users.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward Mendix runtime and application logs to a centralized SIEM or data lake for retention and correlation.
- Alert on any assignment of administrative roles outside an approved change window.
- Track role management API endpoints for anomalous request volume or repeated failed role id submissions.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-33500
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Mendix 10 applications to V10.11.0 or later.
- Upgrade Mendix 10.6 LTS applications to V10.6.9 or later.
- Upgrade Mendix 9 applications to V9.24.22 or later.
- Review current role assignments and revoke any unauthorized elevations identified during audit.
Patch Information
Siemens has released fixed Mendix runtime versions addressing CVE-2024-33500. Refer to Siemens Security Advisory SSA-540640 for complete patch availability and upgrade guidance.
Workarounds
- Restrict the role management capability to a minimal set of fully trusted administrators until the application is upgraded.
- Remove delegated role management permissions from non-administrative roles.
- Implement application-level checks that validate the caller's own role privileges before processing any role assignment microflow.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
