CVE-2024-45538
📋 TL;DR
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Synology's WebAPI Framework allows remote attackers to trick authenticated users into executing arbitrary code on Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) and Unified Controller (DSMUC) systems. This affects all users running vulnerable versions of these Synology products. Attackers can exploit this without the victim's knowledge by getting them to visit a malicious webpage.
💻 Affected Systems
- Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
- Synology Unified Controller (DSMUC)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with administrative privileges leading to complete system compromise, data theft, ransomware deployment, or creation of persistent backdoors.
Likely Case
Attackers execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially gaining control over the Synology device and accessing sensitive data.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and network segmentation, the attack surface is reduced, though the vulnerability still exists in the software.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires the victim to be authenticated to the Synology interface and visit a malicious webpage. The unspecified vectors suggest multiple potential attack paths.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: DSM 7.2.1-69057-2 or later, DSM 7.2.2-72806 or later; DSMUC 3.1.4-23079 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.synology.com/en-global/security/advisory/Synology_SA_24_27
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Log into DSM as administrator. 2. Go to Control Panel > Update & Restore. 3. Click 'Update DSM' or 'Update' for DSMUC. 4. Follow prompts to install the latest version. 5. System will restart automatically.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Tokens
allAdd anti-CSRF tokens to all forms and API requests if custom applications use the vulnerable WebAPI Framework.
Network Segmentation
allIsolate Synology devices from untrusted networks and restrict access to management interfaces.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to Synology management interfaces to trusted IP addresses only using firewall rules.
- Use browser extensions that block CSRF attacks and educate users about phishing risks.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check DSM version in Control Panel > Info Center > DSM Version. For DSMUC, check version in management interface.Check Version:
For DSM: ssh admin@synology 'cat /etc.defaults/VERSION' | grep productversion; For DSMUC: Check web interface or vendor documentation.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the patched versions listed in the advisory.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual API requests from unexpected sources
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful CSRF-like requests
- Log entries showing execution of unexpected commands
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to Synology WebAPI endpoints with missing or malformed CSRF tokens
- Traffic patterns showing requests from web browsers to Synology followed by external malicious domains
SIEM Query:
source="synology_logs" AND (event_type="api_request" AND csrf_token="missing") OR (event_type="command_execution" AND user_agent="browser")