CVE-2025-24924: GMOD Apollo Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24924 Overview

CVE-2025-24924 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in GMOD Apollo, a web-based genomic annotation editor used in scientific research and industrial control systems (ICS) environments. The vulnerability exists because certain functionality within GMOD Apollo does not require authentication when passed with an administrative username, allowing unauthenticated attackers to access privileged functionality.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can bypass authentication controls and gain administrative access to GMOD Apollo systems by exploiting missing authentication checks on sensitive functionality.

Affected Products

GMOD Apollo (specific vulnerable versions not disclosed in advisory)

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-05 - CVE-2025-24924 published to NVD
2025-03-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24924

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function). The flaw stems from an architectural design weakness where certain administrative endpoints or functions within GMOD Apollo fail to properly verify that the requesting user has been authenticated before processing requests. When an administrative username is supplied in requests to these vulnerable functions, the application processes the request without validating whether the user has actually authenticated.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability combined with the low attack complexity makes it particularly dangerous for exposed GMOD Apollo deployments. An attacker requires no prior privileges or user interaction to exploit this flaw, potentially gaining full administrative control over the genomic annotation system.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-24924 is missing authentication enforcement (CWE-306) on critical functions within GMOD Apollo. The application logic improperly trusts user-supplied administrative username parameters without verifying the authentication state of the session. This allows attackers to impersonate administrative users simply by including the appropriate username in their requests.

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 vulnerable GMOD Apollo endpoints that include an administrative username parameter. The system processes these requests with elevated privileges without validating that the requester has legitimate credentials.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network, and CISA has issued an ICS advisory (ICSA-25-063-07) highlighting the potential impact to industrial control system environments where GMOD Apollo may be deployed.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24924

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected administrative actions in GMOD Apollo logs performed without prior authentication events
HTTP requests to administrative endpoints from unauthenticated sessions containing admin username parameters
Anomalous data modifications or configuration changes in the genomic annotation database
Access patterns showing administrative operations originating from unusual IP addresses or geolocations

Detection Strategies

Monitor GMOD Apollo application logs for administrative function calls that lack corresponding authentication records
Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect requests attempting to pass administrative usernames without valid session tokens
Deploy network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) to identify exploitation patterns targeting authentication bypass vulnerabilities
Enable detailed audit logging for all administrative operations within GMOD Apollo

Monitoring Recommendations

Configure alerting on any administrative function invocations that bypass normal authentication workflows
Establish baseline metrics for authenticated administrative sessions and alert on deviations
Monitor for unauthorized changes to user accounts, permissions, or genomic annotation data
Review access logs regularly for suspicious patterns indicating exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24924

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to GMOD Apollo instances using firewall rules and network segmentation
Implement additional authentication layers such as VPN requirements or network access control
Review GMOD Apollo access logs for signs of prior exploitation
Consider taking vulnerable instances offline until patches are available if the risk is unacceptable

Patch Information

Refer to the CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-25-063-07 for official vendor patch information and remediation guidance. Organizations should apply security updates as soon as they become available from the GMOD project.

Workarounds

Implement network-level access controls to restrict GMOD Apollo access to trusted IP ranges only
Deploy a reverse proxy or web application firewall in front of GMOD Apollo to enforce authentication at the network edge
Disable or restrict access to administrative functionality until a patch is applied
Consider implementing multi-factor authentication for all administrative access

bash

# Example: Restrict network access to GMOD Apollo using iptables
# Allow only trusted internal network to access GMOD Apollo port
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j DROP