CVE-2024-35204 in System Recovery
Summary
by MITRE • 05/14/2024
Veritas System Recovery before 23.2_Hotfix has incorrect permissions for the Veritas System Recovery folder, and thus low-privileged users can conduct attacks.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-35204 affects Veritas System Recovery software versions prior to 23.2_Hotfix, presenting a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of enterprise backup and recovery systems. This issue stems from improper permission settings within the Veritas System Recovery folder structure, creating an avenue for privilege escalation attacks. The flaw allows low-privileged users to exploit the system's weak access controls and potentially execute unauthorized operations that should be restricted to administrators or higher-privileged accounts. The vulnerability represents a significant deviation from secure system design principles where proper access controls and least privilege enforcement should be maintained to prevent unauthorized system access and manipulation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through inadequate file and directory permission configurations within the Veritas System Recovery installation directory. Attackers can leverage these misconfigured permissions to gain access to sensitive system components, configuration files, and potentially execute arbitrary code within the context of the application's privileges. This misconfiguration creates a pathway for unauthorized users to manipulate backup operations, access sensitive recovery data, or potentially compromise the integrity of the entire backup infrastructure. The flaw operates at the filesystem level where standard security controls fail to properly restrict access to critical system resources, allowing unauthorized users to bypass expected authentication and authorization mechanisms that should prevent such access.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risk to organizations relying on Veritas System Recovery for their backup and disaster recovery operations. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access as it could enable attackers to disrupt backup processes, corrupt recovery data, or gain insights into system configurations that could facilitate further attacks. Low-privileged users who might normally have minimal access to system resources can leverage this vulnerability to escalate their privileges and potentially move laterally within the network environment. The attack surface is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where backup systems often contain sensitive data and operate with elevated privileges, making them attractive targets for adversaries seeking persistent access or data exfiltration capabilities.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of the 23.2_Hotfix release or equivalent security patches provided by Veritas. System administrators must conduct comprehensive audits of the Veritas System Recovery installation to verify proper permission settings and ensure that all related directories and files have appropriate access controls. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper permissions for critical system resources, and may map to ATT&CK techniques such as privilege escalation and persistence through compromised backup systems. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to backup systems can provide additional defense in depth measures. Organizations should also consider conducting privilege reviews and ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to backup systems, as this vulnerability demonstrates how weak access controls can undermine even the most sophisticated backup and recovery solutions.