CVE-2024-8012 in Workspace Control
Summary
by MITRE • 09/11/2024
An authentication bypass weakness in the message broker service of Ivanti Workspace Control version 10.18.0.0 and below allows a local authenticated attacker to escalate their privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-8012 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the message broker service of Ivanti Workspace Control software. This issue affects versions 10.18.0.0 and earlier, creating a significant security risk for organizations that rely on this endpoint protection solution. The vulnerability specifically targets the message broker component which serves as a communication layer between different system components, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks. The flaw allows a locally authenticated attacker to exploit weaknesses in the authentication mechanism, potentially gaining elevated privileges without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the message broker service. When a user authenticates locally to the system, the service fails to properly verify the authentication state before processing privileged operations. This weakness creates a pathway where an attacker who has already established a local session can manipulate the authentication flow to perform actions that should require higher privilege levels. The flaw operates at the service level where message handling and inter-process communication occur, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to execute commands with elevated system permissions. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, specifically focusing on authentication bypass scenarios where legitimate credentials are not properly validated.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-8012 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, potentially allowing attackers to compromise the entire endpoint protection infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain access to sensitive system functions, modify security policies, and potentially establish persistence mechanisms within the compromised environment. The local authentication requirement means that the attack vector is relatively accessible compared to remote exploitation methods, as the attacker needs only local system access to begin the exploitation process. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning in environments where local access is not strictly controlled or where users have elevated privileges due to legitimate business requirements. The attack surface is further expanded by the nature of message broker services which often handle critical system communications and may interface with other security components within the Ivanti Workspace Control ecosystem.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates to address the authentication bypass vulnerability. System administrators should also review and strengthen local access controls, implementing principle of least privilege configurations to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting T1068 which addresses local privilege escalation. Security teams should monitor for suspicious process creation, unusual network connections, and authentication anomalies that could indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. Additionally, regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar authentication bypass vulnerabilities in other components of the Ivanti Workspace Control suite and related systems. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing comprehensive access control policies to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation in enterprise security solutions.