CVE-2024-41779
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody - Model Manager allows remote attackers to bypass security restrictions and execute arbitrary code. This affects versions 7.0.2 and 7.0.3 of the software. Attackers can exploit this without authentication to gain full system control.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody - Model Manager
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with SYSTEM/root privileges leading to complete system compromise, data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement across the network.
Likely Case
Remote attacker gains initial foothold on the server, installs backdoors, steals sensitive engineering data, or uses the system as a pivot point for further attacks.
If Mitigated
Attack is detected and blocked by network segmentation, application firewalls, or intrusion prevention systems before code execution occurs.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires specially crafted requests and timing precision due to race condition nature, but no authentication is needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply interim fix or upgrade as per IBM advisory
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7172535
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review IBM advisory 7172535. 2. Apply recommended interim fix or upgrade to patched version. 3. Restart the Model Manager service. 4. Verify the fix is applied.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allRestrict network access to Model Manager to only trusted IP addresses and networks
Configure firewall rules to allow only specific source IPs to access Model Manager ports
Application Firewall
allDeploy WAF with RCE protection rules to block malicious requests
Configure WAF to inspect and block suspicious requests to Model Manager endpoints
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate the Model Manager server in a restricted network segment with no internet access
- Implement strict network monitoring and alerting for unusual outbound connections from the server
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the installed version of IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody - Model Manager. If version is 7.0.2 or 7.0.3, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check the application version through the Model Manager administration interface or installation directoryVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the version has been updated to a patched release and check that the interim fix from IBM advisory is applied.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation events from Model Manager service
- Multiple rapid requests to Model Manager endpoints with similar timing patterns
- Errors or warnings in Model Manager logs related to race conditions
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Model Manager server
- Suspicious payloads in HTTP requests to Model Manager
SIEM Query:
source="model_manager.log" AND ("race" OR "concurrent" OR "timing") OR process_name="cmd.exe" parent_process="ModelManager.exe"