CVE-2024-49056 in airlift.microsoft.com
Summary
by MITRE • 11/12/2024
Authentication bypass by assumed-immutable data on airlift.microsoft.com allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that exploits the assumption of immutable data within Microsoft's airlift infrastructure, creating a pathway for authorized attackers to escalate their privileges across network boundaries. The issue stems from the system's reliance on data elements that are expected to remain unchanged, yet can be manipulated by threat actors with existing access permissions. When an attacker possesses legitimate credentials or network access, they can leverage this vulnerability to assume additional roles or permissions without proper authentication checks. The flaw specifically targets the trust model where certain data attributes are treated as authoritative and unchangeable, allowing malicious modifications to bypass standard access control mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability typically involves exploiting weak validation processes around session tokens, user attributes, or permission flags that are cached or stored in ways that assume their integrity. Attackers can modify these assumed-immutable elements through various means including direct data manipulation, injection attacks, or exploitation of misconfigured access controls that permit modification of trusted data fields. This creates a scenario where legitimate system behavior becomes compromised when the underlying assumption about data immutability is violated. The vulnerability often manifests in systems where role-based access control mechanisms rely on pre-validated user properties that should remain constant but can be altered by attackers with sufficient initial privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially enable lateral movement throughout network infrastructure, data exfiltration, and system compromise at scale. Once an attacker successfully exploits this flaw, they can access resources that should normally be restricted to higher-privileged users or administrative accounts. The affected environment may include cloud services, enterprise applications, or networked systems where Microsoft's airlift technology provides connectivity or management capabilities. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages existing legitimate access rather than requiring additional attack vectors, making detection more challenging and exploitation more effective.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require implementing robust validation mechanisms that do not rely on assumed immutable data attributes. Security controls should include regular verification of all user attributes and permission states regardless of their previous validation status, implementation of proper access control checks at every transaction boundary, and monitoring for unauthorized modifications to trusted data fields. Organizations should also consider employing principle of least privilege approaches where even authenticated users cannot modify critical system attributes that could be used to bypass controls. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control and ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts as a means of privilege escalation. Regular security assessments should focus on identifying and eliminating assumptions about data immutability within authentication systems, while implementing additional layers of verification that can detect and prevent manipulation of trusted attributes.