CVE-2024-56524 in Cloud Web Application Firewall
Summary
by MITRE • 05/12/2025
Radware Cloud Web Application Firewall (WAF) before 2025-05-07 allows remote attackers to bypass firewall filters by adding a special character to the request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2025
The Radware Cloud Web Application Firewall vulnerability CVE-2024-56524 represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to circumvent essential firewall protections through the strategic insertion of special characters into HTTP requests. This vulnerability specifically affects versions of the Radware Cloud WAF released prior to May 7, 2025, indicating a window of exposure where organizations relying on this security solution were potentially vulnerable to malicious activities. The flaw operates at the input validation layer where the WAF's filtering mechanisms fail to properly sanitize or recognize certain character sequences that should trigger protective measures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request parameters within the WAF's parsing logic. When attackers inject specially crafted special characters into their requests, these sequences bypass the normal filtering processes that should block malicious content. This allows attackers to execute potentially harmful operations such as SQL injection attempts, cross-site scripting attacks, or other web application exploits that would typically be prevented by the WAF's security policies. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which addresses improper input validation, and demonstrates how character encoding or parsing inconsistencies can create security gaps in network protection systems. The attack vector operates entirely through HTTP traffic without requiring authentication or privileged access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by anyone who can send requests to the affected system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple bypass capabilities as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of organizations relying on Radware Cloud WAF for their web application protection. Organizations may experience unauthorized data access, service disruption, or complete system compromise if attackers successfully exploit this vulnerability to bypass security controls. The potential for data exfiltration increases significantly as the WAF's ability to detect and block malicious traffic is compromised. This vulnerability also impacts compliance requirements for organizations subject to regulatory frameworks such as pci dss, hipaa, or gdpr, where effective web application firewall protection is mandated. The attack surface expands to include all applications protected by the vulnerable WAF version, potentially affecting multiple services within an organization's infrastructure. Security teams may experience false sense of security due to the WAF's apparent functionality while critical threats slip through undetected.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-56524 require immediate action to upgrade to Radware Cloud WAF version 2025-05-07 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the character validation flaw. Organizations should implement additional monitoring and logging to detect anomalous request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unusual character sequences in HTTP headers or parameters. Network segmentation and additional security layers should be considered as defensive measures while the primary fix is deployed. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation that may have occurred during the vulnerable period. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the updated WAF configuration to ensure that legitimate traffic continues to be properly filtered while the security gap is closed. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to prepare for potential exploitation scenarios, as this vulnerability could enable sophisticated attacks that might otherwise be blocked by proper WAF functionality. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application, highlighting how such flaws can enable initial access and lateral movement within compromised environments.