CVE-2024-24520
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2024-24520 is a code injection vulnerability in Lepton CMS v7.0.0 that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code via the upgrade.php file in the languages directory. This affects all installations of Lepton CMS version 7.0.0. Attackers can achieve remote code execution by exploiting improper input validation in language upgrade functionality.
💻 Affected Systems
- Lepton CMS
📦 What is this software?
Leptoncms by Lepton Cms
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control over the web server, allowing data theft, malware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Web server compromise leading to website defacement, data exfiltration, and potential pivot to internal network resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with only web application directory access if proper file permissions and web server sandboxing are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit requires local access or ability to upload files to the languages directory. Public exploit code is available on multiple platforms.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Upgrade to a newer version if available from official sources
2. If no newer version exists, consider migrating to alternative CMS platforms
3. Remove or restrict access to upgrade.php file
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove vulnerable file
linuxDelete or rename the vulnerable upgrade.php file to prevent exploitation
rm /path/to/leptoncms/languages/upgrade.php
mv /path/to/leptoncms/languages/upgrade.php /path/to/leptoncms/languages/upgrade.php.disabled
Restrict file permissions
linuxSet strict permissions on the languages directory to prevent unauthorized file uploads
chmod 755 /path/to/leptoncms/languages/
chown www-data:www-data /path/to/leptoncms/languages/
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block requests to upgrade.php
- Restrict network access to the CMS administration interface using IP whitelisting
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Lepton CMS version 7.0.0 is installed and if the file /languages/upgrade.php exists and is accessibleCheck Version:
Check CMS configuration files or admin panel for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that upgrade.php file has been removed, renamed, or made inaccessible, and that no unauthorized code execution occurs📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file uploads to languages directory
- HTTP requests to upgrade.php with suspicious parameters
- PHP code execution attempts in web server logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from web server
- POST requests to upgrade.php with encoded payloads
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND (uri="/languages/upgrade.php" OR uri="/upgrade.php") AND (method="POST" OR params CONTAINS "php" OR params CONTAINS "system")🔗 References
- http://lepton.com
- https://github.com/capture0x/leptoncms
- https://github.com/xF9979/LEPTON-CMS
- https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176647/Lepton-CMS-7.0.0-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/51949
- http://lepton.com
- https://github.com/capture0x/leptoncms
- https://github.com/xF9979/LEPTON-CMS
- https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176647/Lepton-CMS-7.0.0-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/51949
