CVE-2024-41971: Arbitrary File Overwrite DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-41971 Overview

CVE-2024-41971 is a path traversal vulnerability [CWE-22] disclosed through VDE CERT advisory VDE-2024-047. A low-privileged remote attacker can overwrite arbitrary files on the filesystem. Successful exploitation leads to denial of service (DoS) and data loss.

The flaw requires network access and low-level authenticated privileges. It does not require user interaction. The vulnerability affects file integrity and availability but does not directly expose confidential data.

Critical Impact
An authenticated remote attacker with low privileges can overwrite arbitrary files, causing service disruption and permanent data loss on the affected system.

Affected Products

The specific affected vendor and product are documented in the VDE Security Advisory VDE-2024-047. Consult the advisory for the authoritative list of impacted product versions.

Discovery Timeline

2024-11-18 - CVE-2024-41971 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-41971

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-22] Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (Path Traversal). The affected component fails to properly sanitize file path inputs supplied by authenticated users. As a result, an attacker can supply crafted path sequences that escape the intended write directory.

The impact is limited to integrity and availability. Confidentiality is not affected because the vulnerability supports write operations rather than read primitives. Overwriting configuration files, binaries, or runtime state files can crash the service or render the system inoperable.

The EPSS score is 0.605%, indicating a low probability of near-term exploitation observed in the wild. No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently listed, and the issue is not tracked in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient validation of user-supplied file paths in a write handler. The affected code path accepts filenames or paths without canonicalizing them or rejecting traversal sequences such as ../. This allows a low-privileged authenticated session to redirect write operations outside the intended directory boundary.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the vulnerable service and valid low-privileged credentials. The attacker submits a request containing a manipulated path parameter. The application writes attacker-supplied content to a location controlled by the traversal sequence.

By overwriting critical files such as service binaries, configuration files, or persistent data stores, the attacker triggers denial of service and permanent data loss. Refer to the VDE Security Advisory VDE-2024-047 for exploitation specifics.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-41971

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected modification timestamps on system configuration files, service binaries, or persistent data files
Application or service crashes following file write operations from authenticated low-privileged accounts
Log entries showing file write requests containing path traversal sequences such as ../ or encoded variants like %2e%2e%2f
Missing or corrupted files in directories that should not be writable by low-privileged users

Detection Strategies

Inspect application logs for file upload or write requests containing directory traversal patterns
Monitor filesystem integrity on critical paths using file integrity monitoring (FIM) tools
Correlate authentication events for low-privileged accounts with subsequent file modification events outside expected working directories

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging for the affected service and forward events to a centralized log platform for retention and analysis
Alert on write operations targeting protected directories originating from non-administrative service contexts
Baseline normal file write behavior and flag deviations that involve traversal sequences or unexpected target paths

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-41971

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the vendor-supplied patch referenced in the VDE Security Advisory VDE-2024-047 as soon as it is available for your product version
Restrict network access to the affected service to trusted management networks only
Audit and reduce the number of low-privileged accounts that can authenticate to the affected system
Rotate credentials for any account that may have been exposed prior to patching

Patch Information

Refer to the VDE Security Advisory VDE-2024-047 for the authoritative list of fixed versions and remediation guidance. No alternative vendor patch information is present in the NVD entry.

Workarounds

Segment the affected system on an isolated management VLAN with strict firewall rules limiting inbound access
Disable or block user accounts that do not require access to the file-handling functionality of the affected service
Maintain verified offline backups of configuration and runtime data to enable rapid restoration if files are overwritten

bash

# Example: restrict inbound network access to the affected service
# Replace <service_port> and <trusted_subnet> with values specific to your environment
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport <service_port> -s <trusted_subnet> -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport <service_port> -j DROP