CVE-2024-38120 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE • 08/13/2024
Windows Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/27/2026
The Windows Routing and Remote Access Service RRAS represents a critical attack surface within enterprise networks that has historically exposed organizations to remote code execution vulnerabilities. This service operates as a core component of Microsoft Windows Server environments, providing essential networking functionalities including routing protocols, remote access capabilities, and network address translation services. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the RRAS service implementation, specifically when processing malformed packets or requests sent through the Routing and Remote Access protocol. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending specially crafted network traffic that triggers a buffer overflow condition in the vulnerable service components, allowing arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges typically running as SYSTEM level access on target systems.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves leveraging the service's handling of specific protocol messages within the RRAS subsystem, particularly affecting implementations of routing protocols such as RIP, OSPF, and BGP. When the service receives malformed data packets through these protocols, it fails to properly validate the incoming payload length or structure, leading to memory corruption that can be directly controlled by malicious actors. This flaw aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions occurring when insufficient bounds checking prevents writing beyond allocated memory regions. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it enables full system compromise through direct code execution capabilities, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on RRAS for critical network infrastructure.
From an operational perspective, the vulnerability presents significant risk to enterprise environments where RRAS services are actively deployed and exposed to untrusted network segments. Network administrators often configure RRAS to operate across multiple network boundaries including perimeter firewalls and internal routing domains, creating attack paths that can be exploited from external networks or compromised internal systems. The exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be automated through various network scanning tools, making it attractive to both automated malware campaigns and sophisticated threat actors seeking persistent access to target environments. Organizations utilizing RRAS for VPN services, remote access, or network routing functions face the highest risk exposure, as these services typically operate continuously and may not be adequately monitored for unusual traffic patterns or unauthorized access attempts.
Security professionals should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including immediate patch deployment through Microsoft's regular security updates, network segmentation to isolate RRAS services from critical infrastructure, and enhanced monitoring of routing protocol traffic. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1210 exploitation of remote services with techniques such as T1075 remote service logon and T1566 credential harvesting through network protocols. Organizations must also consider implementing network access control lists to restrict communication to RRAS services only from trusted sources, while deploying intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malformed routing protocol traffic patterns. The vulnerability's persistence in certain legacy environments underscores the importance of comprehensive inventory management and regular security assessments to identify all active RRAS implementations within organizational networks, ensuring that mitigation measures are applied consistently across all affected systems regardless of their deployment location or operational criticality.