CVE-2024-21840
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows local users on the VMware vCenter server to read and write specific files due to incorrect default permissions in the Hitachi Storage Plug-in. It affects all installations of Hitachi Storage Plug-in for VMware vCenter from version 04.0.0 through 04.9.2.
💻 Affected Systems
- Hitachi Storage Plug-in for VMware vCenter
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local privilege escalation leading to complete compromise of the vCenter server, potential data exfiltration, and disruption of storage operations.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to sensitive configuration files, potential modification of storage settings, and data integrity issues.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper access controls and monitoring in place, though local users could still access restricted files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access to the vCenter server. The vulnerability involves incorrect file permissions that could be leveraged by local users.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 04.9.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.hitachi.com/products/it/software/security/info/vuls/hitachi-sec-2024-108/index.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the latest version (04.9.3+) from Hitachi support portal. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Install the update following Hitachi's documentation. 4. Restart the vCenter server or affected services as required.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Local Access
allLimit local user access to the vCenter server to only authorized administrators.
File Permission Hardening
linuxManually review and correct file permissions for Hitachi Storage Plug-in files to restrict access to authorized users only.
chmod 600 /path/to/hitachi/files/*
chown root:root /path/to/hitachi/files/*
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit local user access to the vCenter server
- Monitor file access logs for unauthorized attempts to access Hitachi Storage Plug-in files
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the installed version of Hitachi Storage Plug-in via vCenter plugin management interface or by examining installation directories.Check Version:
Check vCenter plugin management console or examine plugin manifest files in installation directoryVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the plugin version is 04.9.3 or later in the vCenter plugin management interface.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized file access attempts to Hitachi Storage Plug-in directories
- Changes to Hitachi configuration files by non-admin users
Network Indicators:
- N/A - This is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="vcenter-logs" AND (event_type="file_access" AND file_path="*hitachi*" AND user!="admin")