CVE-2024-0259 in Robot Schedule Enterprise Agent
Summary
by MITRE • 03/28/2024
Fortra's Robot Schedule Enterprise Agent for Windows prior to version 3.04 is susceptible to privilege escalation. A low-privileged user can overwrite the service executable. When the service is restarted, the replaced binary runs with local system privileges, allowing a low-privileged user to gain elevated privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0259 affects Fortra's Robot Schedule Enterprise Agent for Windows versions prior to 3.04, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that directly impacts system security posture. This vulnerability resides in the service execution mechanism of the enterprise agent software, creating a pathway for attackers to elevate their privileges from low-privileged user status to local system level. The flaw demonstrates a classic security misconfiguration where service binaries are not properly protected against unauthorized modification by non-privileged users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper file permissions and service management within the Robot Schedule Enterprise Agent software. When the service executes, it loads an executable file that can be overwritten by any user with basic system access. This occurs because the service binary lacks proper access controls and integrity protections that would normally prevent modification by unprivileged users. The vulnerability operates under CWE-276 which specifically addresses improper permissions for critical resources, and it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers privilege escalation through service manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows attackers to gain local system privileges without requiring administrative credentials or complex exploitation techniques. Once a low-privileged user can overwrite the service executable, they can effectively take complete control of the affected system. This creates a persistent backdoor that can be used for data exfiltration, lateral movement, or further exploitation within the network. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal skill to exploit and provides maximum impact, making it attractive to both automated attack tools and sophisticated adversaries.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching to version 3.04 or later, which addresses the underlying permission and service execution issues. Organizations should also implement proper file permission controls on service executables, ensuring that only authorized administrators can modify critical system binaries. Additional defensive measures include monitoring for unauthorized file modifications to service locations, implementing application whitelisting policies, and conducting regular security audits of service configurations. Network segmentation and principle of least privilege enforcement can help limit the potential impact if exploitation occurs, while security monitoring should specifically track service restart events and file modification activities in protected directories.