CVE-2024-9380: Ivanti CSA RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-9380 Overview

CVE-2024-9380 is an OS command injection vulnerability affecting the admin web console of Ivanti Cloud Services Appliance (CSA) before version 5.0.2. This vulnerability allows a remote authenticated attacker with administrative privileges to execute arbitrary operating system commands, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild and has been added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Organizations running affected versions of Ivanti CSA should prioritize immediate remediation.

Affected Products

• Ivanti Endpoint Manager Cloud Services Appliance versions prior to 5.0.2
• Ivanti CSA (Cloud Services Appliance)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-10-08 - CVE-2024-9380 published to NVD
• 2025-10-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-9380

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command) and CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command). The flaw exists in the admin web console component of Ivanti CSA, where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being passed to system shell commands.

When an authenticated administrator interacts with certain functionality in the web console, the application constructs operating system commands using parameters that can be manipulated by the attacker. The lack of proper input validation and sanitization allows specially crafted input containing shell metacharacters or command separators to break out of the intended command context and execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the web application process.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and sanitization in the admin web console's command execution logic. The application fails to properly neutralize special characters and command separators (such as ;, |, &, $(), and backticks) in user-controllable input before incorporating it into operating system commands. This allows attackers to inject additional commands that the system executes alongside or instead of the intended operations.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2024-9380 requires network access to the Ivanti CSA admin web console and valid administrative credentials. An attacker who has obtained admin access—whether through compromised credentials, credential stuffing, or chaining with another vulnerability—can exploit this flaw by submitting malicious input through the web interface.

The injected commands execute in the context of the application's service account, typically with elevated privileges on the underlying system. This can enable attackers to establish persistence, exfiltrate sensitive data, move laterally within the network, or deploy additional malware. For technical details on exploitation mechanics, refer to the Ivanti Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-9380

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected outbound network connections from the Ivanti CSA appliance to unfamiliar IP addresses or domains
• Unusual processes spawned by the web application service account
• Creation of new user accounts or modification of existing administrative credentials
• Presence of web shells or unauthorized scripts in the appliance's web directories
• Anomalous entries in web server access logs showing unusual parameter values with shell metacharacters

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application logs for requests containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &, $(, backticks) in POST parameters or URL query strings
• Deploy network-based intrusion detection rules to identify command injection patterns targeting the admin console
• Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect unexpected process execution chains originating from web server processes
• Review authentication logs for unusual admin login activity, especially from unexpected geographic locations or IP ranges

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the Ivanti CSA appliance and forward logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation and analysis
• Set up alerts for failed and successful authentication attempts to the admin console, particularly outside business hours
• Monitor for file system changes in critical directories, including web roots and configuration paths
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect lateral movement attempts from compromised CSA appliances

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-9380

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Ivanti CSA to version 5.0.2 or later immediately to remediate this vulnerability
• Audit administrative accounts and reset credentials for all admin users
• Review access logs for evidence of exploitation prior to patching
• Restrict network access to the admin web console to trusted management networks only
• Implement multi-factor authentication for administrative access where supported

Patch Information

Ivanti has released version 5.0.2 of the Cloud Services Appliance to address this vulnerability. Organizations should download and apply this update from the official Ivanti support channels. For detailed patching instructions and additional guidance, refer to the Ivanti Security Advisory for CVE-2024-9379, CVE-2024-9380, and CVE-2024-9381.

Given that this vulnerability is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, federal agencies and organizations following CISA guidance are required to apply patches within the specified remediation deadline.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to the Ivanti CSA admin web console by implementing firewall rules that limit connectivity to authorized management IP addresses only
• Place the admin interface behind a VPN or zero-trust network access (ZTNA) solution to reduce the attack surface
• Monitor and log all administrative sessions for anomalous activity until patching can be completed
• Consider temporarily disabling the admin web console if it is not required for critical operations

# Example: Restrict admin console access to management network only
# (Adjust IP ranges and interface names as appropriate for your environment)
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.0.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP