CISA Adds CVE-2024-49138 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, Urgency for Microsoft Users – Source:cyble.com

Overview

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added a critical vulnerability, CVE-2024-49138, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog based on evidence that this flaw is being actively exploited. The vulnerability, identified in the Microsoft Windows Common Log File System (CLFS), is a heap-based buffer overflow issue that has the potential to allow attackers to escalate privileges on vulnerable systems. As part of Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday release, this flaw was patched alongside other critical vulnerabilities.

CVE-2024-49138 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the CLFS driver. This driver is used by both user-mode and kernel-mode software in Windows for general-purpose logging. This vulnerability affects several versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems, including Windows 10 and 11, as well as several Windows Server versions.

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities, like CVE-2024-49138, are common attack vectors for cybercriminals. These flaws can result in system crashes, denial of service, or even allow malicious actors to execute arbitrary code. In the case of CVE-2024-49138, it allows attackers to escalate their privileges to the SYSTEM level, enabling them to take full control of a compromised system.

This issue was actively exploited in the wild before it was addressed by Microsoft, which makes it particularly dangerous. The flaw has been assigned a CVSSv3.1 score of 7.8 (high severity).

CVE-2024-49138 Impact on Affected Systems

The vulnerability affects a broad range of Windows operating systems. Specifically, it impacts Windows 11 versions 22H2, 23H2, and 24H2 for both x64 and ARM64-based systems. In addition, Windows 10 versions from 1607 to 22H2 are vulnerable, including x64, ARM64, and 32-bit systems.

Furthermore, several Windows Server versions are also impacted, spanning from 2008 to 2025. This includes versions such as Windows Server 2012, 2016, 2019, and 2022, with both Core and full installations being affected. These widespread vulnerabilities increase the potential for exploitation across various systems in both personal and enterprise environments.

Active Exploitation and Patch Release

Given that CVE-2024-49138 was actively exploited before the patch was released, Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday update for December 2024 was critical in addressing the issue. Microsoft rated this vulnerability as important, reflecting the immediate threat posed to organizations and users who have not yet applied the patch.

An official security update was issued for all affected systems, and users are encouraged to install it as soon as possible to mitigate the risk of attack. CISA’s inclusion of CVE-2024-49138 in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog highlights the growing focus on vulnerabilities that attackers are actively targeting.

By cataloging such issues, CISA aims to increase awareness and ensure that organizations prioritize the application of patches for vulnerabilities that are under active exploitation.

Recommendations and Mitigation Strategies

To protect systems from CVE-2024-49138, organizations, and individual users should follow these best practices:

1. The Microsoft Patch Tuesday update for December 2024 addresses CVE-2024-49138. Ensure that all affected systems are updated with the latest patches. Microsoft provides an official patch link for direct updates.
2. Implement a consistent patch management strategy to ensure all vulnerabilities are patched as soon as updates are available. Automating patching processes can reduce the risk of missed updates, especially for critical vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-49138.
3. Organizations should use Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to detect unusual activities associated with privilege escalation. Monitoring network traffic and system logs can help identify attempts to exploit CVE-2024-49138 before damage occurs.
4. An effective incident response plan is essential. Organizations should regularly test their response procedures for various vulnerabilities, including those that target Microsoft Windows components like the CLFS driver.
5. Users running older, unsupported versions of Windows should prioritize upgrading to supported versions to reduce their exposure to vulnerabilities such as CVE-2024-49138.

Conclusion

CISA’s inclusion of this flaw in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog emphasizes the urgency of applying the December 2024 Patch Tuesday update. Organizations should adopt automated patch management, use SIEM systems for early detection, and have an incident response plan in place. Users running outdated Windows versions should upgrade to reduce vulnerability.

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