CVE-2024-6576: Progress MOVEit Transfer SFTP Vulnerability

CVE-2024-6576 Overview

CVE-2024-6576 is an Improper Authentication vulnerability (CWE-287) affecting the SFTP module in Progress MOVEit Transfer, a widely-deployed managed file transfer solution used by enterprises for secure data exchange. This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms, potentially leading to privilege escalation within affected systems. Given MOVEit Transfer's role in handling sensitive file transfers across organizations, successful exploitation could result in unauthorized access to critical business data and systems.

Critical Impact

Network-accessible authentication bypass in MOVEit Transfer's SFTP module enables privilege escalation without requiring user interaction or prior authentication.

Affected Products

• Progress MOVEit Transfer versions 2023.0.0 through 2023.0.11
• Progress MOVEit Transfer versions 2023.1.0 through 2023.1.6
• Progress MOVEit Transfer versions 2024.0.0 through 2024.0.2

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-07-29 - CVE-2024-6576 published to NVD
• 2025-08-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-6576

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper authentication handling within the SFTP module of Progress MOVEit Transfer. The authentication mechanism fails to properly validate user credentials or session tokens under certain conditions, allowing an attacker to bypass security controls and gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability is network-exploitable with low attack complexity, requiring no privileges or user interaction to execute successfully.

The impact is severe across all three security dimensions—confidentiality, integrity, and availability are all highly affected. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could potentially read, modify, or delete files managed by MOVEit Transfer, access sensitive configuration data, or disrupt file transfer operations entirely.

Root Cause

The root cause is an Improper Authentication implementation (CWE-287) in the SFTP module's credential validation logic. The authentication mechanism contains a flaw that allows certain requests to bypass standard authentication checks, enabling unauthorized access with elevated privileges. This type of vulnerability typically occurs when authentication state is not properly maintained or when alternative authentication paths are not adequately secured.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, meaning an attacker with network access to the MOVEit Transfer SFTP service can attempt exploitation remotely. The attack requires no prior authentication (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N), making it particularly dangerous for internet-exposed MOVEit Transfer instances.

The attacker would target the SFTP service endpoint and exploit the authentication bypass to gain unauthorized access. Once past the authentication layer, the privilege escalation component allows the attacker to obtain elevated permissions within the application context. For detailed technical information, refer to the Progress MOVEit Security Alert.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-6576

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual authentication patterns in SFTP logs, particularly successful authentications without corresponding valid credential submissions
• Unexpected privilege elevation events for SFTP users in MOVEit Transfer audit logs
• Anomalous file access patterns or bulk data transfers from accounts that shouldn't have such permissions
• Failed authentication attempts followed by successful access without valid credential retries

Detection Strategies

• Monitor MOVEit Transfer SFTP authentication logs for authentication bypass indicators and anomalous session establishment
• Implement network monitoring to detect unusual traffic patterns to SFTP ports (typically port 22 or custom SFTP ports)
• Configure SIEM rules to alert on privilege escalation events within MOVEit Transfer
• Deploy behavioral analytics to identify abnormal user activity following SFTP authentication

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on MOVEit Transfer SFTP services and forward logs to centralized SIEM
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect lateral movement from compromised MOVEit instances
• Configure alerts for administrative actions performed through SFTP channels
• Regularly review MOVEit Transfer audit logs for signs of unauthorized access or privilege abuse

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-6576

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade MOVEit Transfer to patched versions: 2023.0.12, 2023.1.7, or 2024.0.3 or later immediately
• Restrict network access to MOVEit Transfer SFTP services using firewall rules to limit exposure
• Review MOVEit Transfer access logs for signs of exploitation prior to patching
• Temporarily disable SFTP functionality if patching cannot be performed immediately and business operations permit

Patch Information

Progress has released security patches addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to the following versions:

• Version 2023.0.12 or later for the 2023.0.x branch
• Version 2023.1.7 or later for the 2023.1.x branch
• Version 2024.0.3 or later for the 2024.0.x branch

Detailed patch information and download links are available in the Progress MOVEit Security Alert.

Workarounds

• Implement network-level access controls to restrict SFTP access to trusted IP ranges only
• Enable multi-factor authentication where supported to add an additional layer of security
• Monitor and audit all SFTP sessions until patches can be applied
• Consider temporarily disabling SFTP functionality and using alternative secure file transfer methods if immediate patching is not feasible

# Network restriction example - Limit SFTP access to trusted networks
# Add firewall rules to restrict access to MOVEit SFTP port
# Example using Windows Firewall (adjust port as needed)
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="MOVEit SFTP Restrict" dir=in action=allow protocol=tcp localport=22 remoteip=10.0.0.0/8,192.168.0.0/16
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="MOVEit SFTP Block External" dir=in action=block protocol=tcp localport=22