CVE-2024-29204
📋 TL;DR
A heap overflow vulnerability in the WLAvalancheService component of Ivanti Avalanche allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands. This affects Ivanti Avalanche versions before 6.4.3. Attackers can exploit this without authentication to gain full control of affected systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- Ivanti Avalanche
📦 What is this software?
Avalanche by Ivanti
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining administrative privileges, installing persistent backdoors, stealing sensitive data, and pivoting to other network resources.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to malware deployment, data exfiltration, or ransomware installation on vulnerable Avalanche servers.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if network segmentation prevents external access and proper monitoring detects exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability requires no authentication and has a high CVSS score, making it attractive for exploitation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.4.3
Vendor Advisory: https://forums.ivanti.com/s/article/Avalanche-6-4-3-Security-Hardening-and-CVEs-addressed?language=en_US
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Avalanche 6.4.3 from Ivanti support portal. 2. Backup current configuration and database. 3. Run the installer with administrative privileges. 4. Restart the Avalanche server after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allRestrict network access to Avalanche servers to only trusted management networks
Firewall Rules
allBlock external access to WLAvalancheService ports (typically 1777, 1778, 1779)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate Avalanche servers from untrusted networks
- Deploy intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor for exploitation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Avalanche version in the web interface under Help > About or examine installed programs in Windows Control PanelCheck Version:
Not applicable - check via web interface or Windows installed programsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version shows 6.4.3 or higher in the Avalanche web interface📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from WLAvalancheService.exe
- Heap corruption errors in Windows Event Logs
- Failed authentication attempts followed by successful connections
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to WLAvalancheService ports (1777-1779) from untrusted sources
- Large or malformed packets to these ports
SIEM Query:
source="windows" AND (process_name="WLAvalancheService.exe" AND (event_id=4688 OR event_id=1000)) OR (destination_port IN (1777, 1778, 1779) AND source_ip NOT IN (trusted_ips))