Description

Exploit code has surfaced for a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT (Managed File Transfer) software, enabling attackers to create new admin users on unpatched instances via the administration portal. Fortra discreetly patched the bug (CVE-2024-0204) on December 7 with the release of GoAnywhere MFT 7.4.1 but only publicly disclosed it recently in a limited-information advisory, while privately informing customers earlier on December 4. GoAnywhere MFT, a web-based managed file transfer tool, facilitates secure file transfers among organizations and maintains audit logs of file access. Although there have been no reported attacks exploiting the vulnerability, security researchers from Horizon3's Attack Team published a technical analysis and a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit almost seven weeks later. The PoC exploit capitalizes on a path traversal issue at the root of CVE-2024-0204, allowing unauthorized access to the vulnerable /InitialAccountSetup.xhtml endpoint. This enables the creation of a new administrator account, potentially posing a severe security risk for unpatched GoAnywhere MFT instances exposed online. Administrators unable to immediately upgrade to the latest version are advised to mitigate the risk by either deleting the InitialAccountSetup.xhtml file in the installation directory and restarting services or replacing the file with an empty one and restarting services. Given the availability of the PoC exploit, security experts anticipate a rise in threat actors scanning for and compromising unpatched GoAnywhere MFT instances. This follows previous incidents, such as the Clop ransomware gang's exploitation of a critical flaw (CVE-2023-0669) in the same software, affecting over 100 organizations, including Community Health Systems, Procter & Gamble, and Saks Fifth Avenue, in 2023.