CVE-2024-3775: Aenrich A+hrd Path Traversal Vulnerability

CVE-2024-3775 Overview

CVE-2024-3775 affects aEnrich Technology a+HRD, a human resource development platform. The vulnerability resides in the file download functionality that wraps youtube-dl.exe. The application does not properly restrict user-supplied input passed to the external binary. Remote unauthenticated attackers can inject arbitrary command-line arguments into youtube-dl.exe execution. This argument injection enables the download of partial unauthorized files from attacker-controlled sources. The flaw is classified as [CWE-88] Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command.

Critical Impact

Remote unauthenticated attackers can manipulate youtube-dl.exe arguments over the network to retrieve unauthorized partial files, impacting confidentiality of the a+HRD host.

Affected Products

• aEnrich Technology a+HRD 6.8
• aEnrich Technology a+HRD 7.0, 7.1
• aEnrich Technology a+HRD 7.2

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-04-15 - CVE-2024-3775 published to NVD
• 2025-04-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-3775

Vulnerability Analysis

The a+HRD application exposes a server-side feature that invokes youtube-dl.exe to download media files. User-controlled parameters are concatenated into the command line passed to the binary without sufficient validation. Attackers can supply additional flags such as URL overrides, output paths, or post-processing options recognized by youtube-dl.exe. This results in argument injection [CWE-88], where the attacker influences program behavior beyond the developer's intent. The Exploit Prediction Scoring System places this issue in the lower probability tier for active exploitation, but unauthenticated network reachability raises practical risk for internet-exposed deployments.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of argument delimiters when constructing the youtube-dl.exe invocation. The application treats the input as a single value but youtube-dl.exe parses it as multiple arguments. Whitespace and flag prefixes such as -- are not stripped or escaped before reaching the child process.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable download endpoint exposed by a+HRD. The request payload embeds extra youtube-dl.exe switches alongside the expected URL parameter. When the server spawns youtube-dl.exe, the injected flags alter download behavior. The result is retrieval of partial unauthorized content controlled by the attacker. Refer to the TW CERT Security Advisory for vendor-coordinated details.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. The vulnerability mechanism is described in prose because exploit details have not been published.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-3775

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected youtube-dl.exe process executions spawned by a+HRD application worker processes with unusual command-line arguments.
• HTTP requests to a+HRD download endpoints containing flag-like tokens such as --, -o, or --exec.
• Outbound network connections from the a+HRD host to non-business domains shortly after download requests.

Detection Strategies

• Hunt for youtube-dl.exe child processes of a+HRD web service binaries and inspect full command lines for attacker-controlled flags.
• Inspect web access logs for parameters containing argument delimiters, URL-encoded spaces, or embedded youtube-dl option strings.
• Correlate process creation telemetry with subsequent file-write events in unexpected directories on the application server.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable command-line auditing on Windows servers hosting a+HRD and forward events to a central log platform.
• Alert on any youtube-dl.exe execution that includes output path flags writing outside an allow-listed media directory.
• Track outbound DNS and HTTP traffic from the a+HRD server and flag connections to domains not previously seen.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-3775

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade a+HRD to a fixed version per the vendor advisory from aEnrich Technology.
• Restrict network access to a+HRD download endpoints using firewall or reverse proxy allow-listing.
• Review process execution logs on a+HRD servers for prior abuse of youtube-dl.exe.

Patch Information

aEnrich Technology has coordinated disclosure through Taiwan CERT. Apply the vendor-supplied update for affected versions 6.8, 7.0, 7.1, and 7.2. See the TW CERT Security Advisory for fixed-version details and remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Disable the file download feature that invokes youtube-dl.exe until the patch is applied.
• Place a+HRD behind a web application firewall and block requests containing argument delimiters in download parameters.
• Run the a+HRD service account with least privilege and restrict its outbound network egress to required destinations only.

# Example WAF rule concept - block argument injection patterns in download parameters
# ModSecurity-style pseudo-rule
SecRule ARGS:url "@rx (^|\s)(--|-o\s|--exec|--output|--config-location)" \
    "id:1003775,phase:2,deny,status:400,msg:'CVE-2024-3775 argument injection attempt'"