CVE-2024-47056

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-47056 is a sensitive information disclosure vulnerability affecting Mautic, an open-source marketing automation platform. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to access the .env configuration file directly via a web browser due to missing web server access controls. This file typically contains sensitive environment variables such as database credentials, API keys, and other critical system configurations. The CVSS score is 5.1 (Medium), with a low EPSS probability of 0.0%. No official patch is available; mitigation requires manual web server configuration changes for Apache or Nginx.

Supply Chain & Package Security

Mautic is a PHP-based application distributed via GitHub and Composer. The .env file is not used by default in production, but if present, it poses a supply chain risk as it may contain secrets used by third-party integrations. Organizations using Mautic should audit their deployment for the presence of .env files and ensure proper web server hardening.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
• Base Score: 5.1 (Medium)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N)
• User Interaction: None (UI:N)
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U)
• Confidentiality Impact: Low (C:L)
• Integrity Impact: None (I:N)
• Availability Impact: None (A:N)

Threat Level: Medium. The vulnerability is trivial to exploit (no authentication, no user interaction) but only leads to information disclosure. The impact is limited to confidentiality of the .env file contents.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability arises from a misconfiguration in web server access controls. Mautic’s .env file, if present, is stored in the web root directory. By default, Apache uses .htaccess files to restrict access to sensitive files, but if AllowOverride is disabled or the .htaccess file is missing, the .env file becomes publicly accessible. For Nginx, which does not support .htaccess, the file is accessible unless explicitly denied in the server configuration.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker identifies a Mautic instance (e.g., via Shodan or Google dorking).
2. The attacker navigates to https://target.com/.env.
3. If the server is misconfigured, the .env file is returned, revealing sensitive data.
4. The attacker uses the disclosed credentials to further compromise the system.

Root Cause: Missing or misconfigured web server rules to deny access to dotfiles (files starting with a dot).

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Configuration (Apache):

# No .htaccess file or AllowOverride disabled
# .env file is accessible

Patched Configuration (Apache):

# In .htaccess or Apache config:
<FilesMatch "^\.env">
    Require all denied
</FilesMatch>

Vulnerable Configuration (Nginx):

# No deny rule for .env

Patched Configuration (Nginx):

location ~ /\.env {
    deny all;
}

Code Change: No code change is required; the fix is purely configuration-based.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A Mautic instance with a publicly accessible .env file.
• No authentication required.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify target: https://target.com/.env
2. Use curl to fetch the file:

   curl -v https://target.com/.env
   

3. If successful, the response will contain environment variables.

Example Output:

MAUTIC_DB_HOST=localhost
MAUTIC_DB_USER=root
MAUTIC_DB_PASSWORD=secret
MAUTIC_MAILER_API_KEY=abc123

Automated Scanning:

# Using nuclei (if template available)
nuclei -u https://target.com -t cves/2024/CVE-2024-47056.yaml

Blue Team (Detection & Hardening)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for requests to /.env or other dotfiles.
• Alert on HTTP 200 responses for /.env.

Hardening:

• For Apache: Ensure .htaccess files are enabled and contain the deny rule.
• For Nginx: Add the location ~ /\.env block to the server configuration.
• Remove .env files from production if not needed.

Lab Setup:

1. Install Mautic on a local server (e.g., using Docker).
2. Create a dummy .env file in the web root.
3. Test access via browser or curl.
4. Apply the mitigation and verify denial.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Access: Requests to /.env returning HTTP 200.
• Log Entries: Apache/Nginx access logs showing GET /.env HTTP/1.1 with 200 status.
• Network Traffic: Outbound connections from attacker IP to Mautic instance on port 80/443.
• File Hashes: Not applicable (no malware involved).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_47056_env_exposure {
    meta:
        description = "Detects access to .env files in web logs"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-47056"
    strings:
        $env_path = "/.env"
        $http_200 = " 200 "
    condition:
        $env_path and $http_200
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-47056 - .env File Exposure
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests to .env files
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: GET
        cs-uri-stem: '/.env'
        sc-status: 200
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin access (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-47056 - .env File Exposure"; flow:to_server,established; http.method; content:"GET"; http.uri; content:"/.env"; http.stat_code; content:"200"; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Apache: Ensure .htaccess files are enabled and contain:

   <FilesMatch "^\.env">
       Require all denied
   </FilesMatch>
   

2. Nginx: Add to server block:

   location ~ /\.env {
       deny all;
   }
   

3. General: Remove .env files from production if not required. Use environment variables set at the system level instead.

Long-Term Measures:

• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests to dotfiles.
• Regularly audit web server configurations.
• Use a secrets management solution (e.g., HashiCorp Vault) instead of .env files.

Patch Status: No official patch; mitigation is configuration-based.

Valters IT