ShadowSyndicate Hackers Exploiting Aiohttp Vulnerability To Access Sensitive Data

A new Aiohttp vulnerability has been discovered, which the threat actor ShadowSyndicate exploits.

Aiohttp is an asynchronous HTTP client/server framework that has extensive capabilities and flexibility to make aiohttp perform various asynchronous tasks. 

The ShadowSyndicate threat actor operates as a Ransomware-as-a-Service affiliate and has been active since July 2022.

The threat actor was responsible for several ransomware activities, including the Quantum, Nokoyawa, and ALPHV ransomware activities.

However, this vulnerability has been assigned CVE-2024-23334, and its severity has been given as 7.5 (High).

More than 43,000 internet-exposed instances have been identified worldwide using aiohttp framework.

Additionally, the aiohttp maintainers have provided a patch to fix this vulnerability.

Technical Analysis – CVE-2024-23334

Aiohttp framework is specifically designed to offer asynchronous HTTP client and server capabilities, which initially require the setting up of static routes for serving files in order to specify the root directory containing the static files.

Further, the framework has the option to allow follow_symlinks, which can be used to make the server follow symbolic links outside of the static root directory.

Document

Mitigating Vulnerability & 0-day Threats

Alert Fatigue that helps no one as security teams need to triage 100s of vulnerabilities. :

  • The problem of vulnerability fatigue today
  • Difference between CVSS-specific vulnerability vs risk-based vulnerability
  • Evaluating vulnerabilities based on the business impact/risk
  • Automation to reduce alert fatigue and enhance security posture significantly

AcuRisQ, that helps you to quantify risk accurately:

This is where the directory traversal vulnerability exists.

If the follow_symlinks is set to True, the path to be followed is not validated, giving rise to unauthorized arbitrary file reading vulnerability.

According to the reports shared with Cyber Security News, this CVE-2024-23334 is associated with directory traversal which could allow an unauthenticated remote threat actor to access sensitive information from arbitrary files on the vulnerable server.

This is done by traversing through the /static directory with the enabled follow_symlink option.

Moreover, the exposed instances have been highly found in the United States (6.93k), Germany (3.48k), Spain (2.48k), the United Kingdom (1.82k), Italy (1.81k), France (1.26k), Russia (1.25k) and China (1.16k).

Countries with vulnerable aiohttp servers (Source: Cyble)

In addition to this, a proof-of-concept for this vulnerability has also been released alongside a comprehensive YouTube video that demonstrates the exploitation technique.

According to the exploit code, the researcher has set up a server that contains the ‘follow_symlink’ option enabled.

This allows the researcher to perform a directory traversal and read an arbitrary file on the D:\ volume of the server.

Users of this aiohttp framework are recommended to upgrade to the latest version in order to prevent this vulnerability from getting exploited by threat actors.

Indicators of Compromise

Indicators Indicator Type Description
81[.]19[.]136[.]251 IP IP observed attempting to exploit CVE-2024-23334
157[.]230[.]143[.]100 IP IP observed attempting to exploit CVE-2024-23334
170[.]64[.]174[.]95 IP IP observed attempting to exploit CVE-2024-23334
103[.]151[.]172[.]28 IP IP observed attempting to exploit CVE-2024-23334
143[.]244[.]188[.]172 IP IP observed attempting to exploit CVE-2024-23334

Stay updated on Cybersecurity news, Whitepapers, and Infographics. Follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter.

Eswar

Eswar is a Cyber security content editor with a passion for creating captivating and informative content. With years of experience under his belt in Cyber Security, he is covering Cyber Security News, technology and other news.

Recent Posts

New VIPKeyLogger Via Weaponized Office Documenrs Steals Login Credentials

The VIPKeyLogger infostealer, exhibiting similarities to the Snake Keylogger, is actively circulating through phishing campaigns. …

17 hours ago

INTERPOL Urges to End ‘Pig Butchering’ & Replaces With “Romance Baiting”

INTERPOL has called for the term "romance baiting" to replace "pig butchering," a phrase widely…

17 hours ago

New I2PRAT Malware Using encrypted peer-to-peer communication to Evade Detections

Cybersecurity experts are sounding the alarm over a new strain of malware dubbed "I2PRAT," which…

18 hours ago

Earth Koshchei Employs RDP Relay, Rogue RDP server in Server Attacks

 A new cyber campaign by the advanced persistent threat (APT) group Earth Koshchei has brought…

20 hours ago

Careto – A legendary Threat Group Targets Windows By Deploy Microphone Recorder And Steal Files

Recent research has linked a series of cyberattacks to The Mask group, as one notable…

20 hours ago

RiseLoader Attack Windows By Employed A VMProtect To Drop Multiple Malware Families

RiseLoader, a new malware family discovered in October 2024, leverages a custom TCP-based binary protocol…

20 hours ago