Appsmith: unauthenticated RCE and denial of service via Restart API (CVE-2024-55963) #shorts
Summary
Welcome to today's podcast, where we delve into a significant security concern identified as CVE-2024-55963. This newly discovered vulnerability affects Appsmith, a platform for building workflow and CRUD-type applications, which poses a threat due to its potential for unauthenticated remote code execution and denial of service attacks.
Product details
Appsmith, the product impacted by this vulnerability, is widely used for its simplicity and flexibility in creating internal apps without extensive coding. However, versions up to 1.50 are susceptible to exploitation, turning what is typically a secure environment into a potential liability.
Vulnerability type summary
The identified vulnerability, CVE-2024-55963, primarily consists of two components. Firstly, there is an unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code within the Appsmith environment. Additionally, incorrect access control checks in the API allow non-admin users to trigger server restarts, leading to a denial of service (DoS) condition. Together, these issues can wreak havoc on the infrastructure by allowing unauthorized access and service disruptions.
Details of the vulnerability
This CVE was brought to light by security researchers at Rhino Security Labs, who identified the serious flaws in version 1.50 and earlier of Appsmith. An attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities through Appsmith's default installation settings, which do not require administrative privileges to access certain API endpoints. This oversight permits continuous server restarts through the Restart API and potential remote code execution without authentication, jeopardizing service availability and system security.
Conclusion
In closing, CVE-2024-55963 underscores the importance of robust security measures and regular software updates. Users of Appsmith, especially versions up to 1.50, should upgrade to version 1.51 or later to mitigate these risks. Vigilance and proactive updates are crucial to ensuring application integrity and preventing unauthorized exploitation of software vulnerabilities.
Watch the full video on YouTube: CVE-2024-55963
Remediation and exploitation details
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This following systems are involved
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