CVE-2024-47010: Ivanti Avalanche Path Traversal Flaw

CVE-2024-47010 Overview

CVE-2024-47010 is a critical path traversal vulnerability affecting Ivanti Avalanche, an enterprise mobile device management (MDM) solution. This vulnerability allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to bypass authentication mechanisms by exploiting improper path validation. Successful exploitation could grant attackers unauthorized access to the Avalanche management console, potentially compromising the security of all managed mobile devices across an enterprise environment.

Critical Impact

Remote unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication in Ivanti Avalanche, potentially gaining full control over enterprise mobile device management infrastructure without valid credentials.

Affected Products

• Ivanti Avalanche versions prior to 6.4.5
• Ivanti Avalanche on-premise deployments

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-10-08 - CVE-2024-47010 published to NVD
• 2024-10-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-47010

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), commonly known as Path Traversal. The flaw exists in how Ivanti Avalanche processes and validates file paths in incoming requests. By crafting specially manipulated path sequences, an attacker can traverse outside the intended directory structure and access resources that should require authentication.

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without any user interaction or prior authentication. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could achieve complete compromise of the system's confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Given that Ivanti Avalanche manages enterprise mobile devices, successful exploitation could provide attackers with control over the entire mobile device fleet, including the ability to push malicious configurations, access sensitive corporate data, or disrupt mobile operations.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-47010 lies in insufficient input validation of file path parameters within the Ivanti Avalanche application. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input containing path traversal sequences such as ../ or encoded variants. This allows attackers to navigate outside the intended web root or application directory, ultimately bypassing authentication controls that would otherwise protect administrative functions.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to the Ivanti Avalanche server. The malicious requests contain path traversal sequences designed to bypass directory restrictions and access protected resources or authentication endpoints.

A typical exploitation scenario involves:

1. Identifying an exposed Ivanti Avalanche server
2. Crafting HTTP requests with path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../) targeting authentication bypass
3. Accessing administrative functions without proper credentials
4. Potentially gaining full control over the MDM infrastructure

The vulnerability can be exploited from any network location that can reach the Avalanche server, making internet-exposed instances particularly at risk.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-47010

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests containing path traversal sequences such as ../, ..%2f, %2e%2e/, or similar encoded patterns in URL paths
• Unusual access patterns to administrative endpoints without corresponding authentication events
• Log entries showing access to restricted resources from unauthenticated sessions
• Anomalous file access patterns outside the normal web application directories

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block path traversal patterns in HTTP requests
• Monitor Ivanti Avalanche access logs for requests containing directory traversal sequences
• Implement network intrusion detection signatures for path traversal attack patterns targeting Avalanche
• Enable detailed request logging and regularly review for suspicious path manipulation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure SIEM alerts for path traversal patterns targeting Ivanti Avalanche servers
• Monitor authentication bypass attempts and failed authentication events on Avalanche infrastructure
• Track access to sensitive configuration files and administrative endpoints
• Implement real-time alerting for any unauthenticated access to restricted management functions

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-47010

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Ivanti Avalanche to version 6.4.5 or later immediately
• Restrict network access to Ivanti Avalanche servers using firewall rules to limit exposure
• Review access logs for signs of exploitation attempts prior to patching
• Ensure Ivanti Avalanche is not directly exposed to the internet without additional security controls

Patch Information

Ivanti has released version 6.4.5 of Avalanche which addresses this vulnerability. Organizations should apply this update as the primary remediation measure. The security advisory with detailed patch information is available from the Ivanti Avalanche Security Advisory.

Administrators should:

1. Download the 6.4.5 update from Ivanti's official channels
2. Follow Ivanti's upgrade procedures for Avalanche
3. Verify successful installation and test functionality
4. Review logs post-update for any signs of prior compromise

Workarounds

• Place Ivanti Avalanche behind a reverse proxy with path traversal filtering enabled
• Implement network segmentation to limit access to the Avalanche server from trusted networks only
• Deploy a WAF with rules specifically blocking path traversal sequences
• Consider temporarily taking the system offline if immediate patching is not possible and exposure risk is high

# Example: Restrict access to Ivanti Avalanche using iptables
# Allow only specific trusted networks to access the Avalanche server
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP