A critical security vulnerability has been disclosed in Fortra’s GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer (MFT) software, exposing a significant security risk. Tracked as CVE-2024-0204, the flaw allows an unauthorized user to create a new administrator account through an authentication bypass in the administration portal. The issue, with a CVSS score of 9.8, was reported by Mohammed Eldeeb and Islam Elrfai of Spark Engineering Consultants. Fortra recommends users upgrade to version 7.4.1 or apply temporary workarounds, such as deleting the affected file in non-container deployments, to mitigate potential exploitation.
Horizon3.ai, a cybersecurity firm, published a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit for CVE-2024-0204, highlighting a path traversal weakness in the “/InitialAccountSetup.xhtml” endpoint that could be exploited to create administrative users. While there is no evidence of active exploitation in the wild, another flaw in the same product (CVE-2023-0669) was abused by the Cl0p ransomware group last year. The vulnerability was used to breach nearly 130 victims, emphasizing the potential real-world impact of such security issues. Fortra’s advisory recommends monitoring the Admin Users group for any unauthorized additions to detect potential compromises.
Users who cannot immediately upgrade are advised to follow specific workarounds, including deleting the InitialAccountSetup.xhtml file in non-container deployments and replacing it with an empty file in container-deployed instances. Horizon3.ai’s security researcher, Zach Hanley, highlights the importance of monitoring the Admin Users group for any unauthorized additions, providing a potential indicator of compromise and enabling organizations to gauge the approximate date of a compromise. The disclosure underscores the critical need for organizations to promptly address and patch vulnerabilities to maintain robust cybersecurity postures.
