CVE-2024-7593
Ivanti Virtual Traffic Manager Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2024-7593 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Ivanti Virtual Traffic Manager (vTM), the application delivery and load balancing platform used to manage and optimize web application traffic. An incorrect implementation of the authentication algorithm allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to completely bypass the admin panel authentication, gaining full administrative access to the traffic management infrastructure. With a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 and worst-case exploitability metrics across all parameters, the vulnerability affects Ivanti vTM versions 22.2, 22.3, 22.5, 22.6, and 22.7 when not running versions 22.2R1 or 22.7R2. CISA has added CVE-2024-7593 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a remediation deadline of October 15, 2024, and the EPSS score of 94.44% at the 100th percentile marks it as the most exploited vulnerability in its class.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HOpen in CalculatorAffected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| ivanti | virtual traffic manager | 22.2; 22.3; 22.5; 22.6; 22.7 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://forums.ivanti.com/s/article/Security-Advisory-Ivanti-Virtual-Traffic-Manager-vTM-CVE-2024-7593(Mitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-7593(US Government Resource)
Weakness Type
Incorrect Authentication Algorithm Implementation
CVE-2024-7593 is an authentication bypass vulnerability caused by an incorrect implementation of the authentication algorithm in Ivanti vTM's administrative panel. Authentication bypass vulnerabilities occur when the logic responsible for verifying user credentials contains implementation errors that allow an attacker to circumvent the authentication process entirely. In this case, the authentication algorithm in the vTM admin panel was implemented incorrectly, meaning that a remote attacker can craft requests that satisfy the flawed authentication checks without providing valid credentials. This grants the attacker full administrative access to the traffic management platform, bypassing what should be the primary security control protecting the management interface.
Impact Analysis
Confidentiality is fully compromised when CVE-2024-7593 is exploited. Administrative access to Ivanti vTM exposes complete visibility into all managed application traffic, including SSL/TLS configurations and potentially stored private keys, traffic rules and routing policies, backend server configurations and credentials, session persistence data, and health monitoring information for all managed applications. Traffic managers sit at a critical intersection point in application infrastructure where they terminate SSL connections and proxy traffic between clients and backend servers.
Integrity faces maximum impact because full administrative control over the traffic manager allows an attacker to modify traffic routing rules to redirect users to malicious servers, alter SSL/TLS configurations to enable traffic interception, inject malicious content into application responses, modify load balancing policies to direct traffic to attacker-controlled backends, and manipulate health check configurations to hide compromised servers. The ability to redirect and modify application traffic in real-time makes this an exceptionally powerful position for an attacker.
Availability is completely compromised as the attacker can disrupt all applications that depend on the vTM for traffic management and load balancing. Deleting virtual servers, corrupting configurations, or disabling the traffic manager would cause immediate outages for all managed applications. The EPSS score of 94.44% at the 100th percentile is the absolute maximum, indicating this vulnerability is the most actively exploited in its risk category. While ransomware association is listed as unknown, control over an organization's application delivery infrastructure provides both maximum disruption leverage and comprehensive data access that are attractive to ransomware operators.
Exploit Maturity
CVE-2024-7593 represents the pinnacle of exploit maturity, demonstrated by an unprecedented EPSS score of 94.44% at the 100th percentile, making it literally the most exploited vulnerability in its risk class. CISA's inclusion of this vulnerability in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a deadline of October 15, 2024 further confirms active targeting.
Ivanti has published a detailed security advisory with mitigation and patch guidance. The authentication bypass is remotely exploitable without any prerequisites: no authentication (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), network accessibility (AV:N), and low complexity (AC:L). The flaw resides in the authentication algorithm itself, meaning exploitation does not require brute-force attacks, credential theft, or social engineering. An attacker simply needs to send appropriately crafted requests that exploit the incorrect authentication logic to gain full admin access. The trivial exploitation combined with the high value of traffic management infrastructure as a target makes this vulnerability exceptionally dangerous. Ivanti products have been repeatedly targeted by advanced threat actors, and vTM instances are commonly exposed to the internet for legitimate traffic management purposes.
Remediation
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Update Ivanti vTM to version 22.2R1 or 22.7R2 immediately. Apply the patched versions as documented in the Ivanti Security Advisory. These are the only versions confirmed to contain the corrected authentication algorithm. If running versions 22.3, 22.5, or 22.6, plan an upgrade path to 22.7R2 as the most current patched release.
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Restrict access to the vTM admin panel. Immediately limit access to the administrative interface by binding it to a management-only network interface and implementing firewall rules that restrict access to authorized administrator IP addresses only. The admin panel should never be accessible from the general internet or untrusted network segments.
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Audit administrative access logs for unauthorized sessions. Review all admin panel access logs for the period during which your vTM was running a vulnerable version. Look for login events from unexpected IP addresses, administrative actions performed outside normal business hours, and any configuration changes that were not authorized through your change management process.
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Review and validate all traffic management configurations. After patching, comprehensively review all virtual server configurations, SSL profiles, traffic routing rules, and backend pool settings. An attacker with admin access may have made subtle modifications to redirect or intercept traffic. Compare the running configuration against your documented baseline and investigate any discrepancies.
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Rotate all credentials and certificates managed by vTM. Change all administrative passwords, regenerate or replace SSL/TLS certificates and private keys stored in vTM, update any backend server credentials configured in pool monitors or health checks, and rotate API keys used for vTM automation. If the admin panel was accessible from untrusted networks during the vulnerable period, treat all stored secrets as compromised.
Technical Details
CVE-2024-7593 carries a CVSS v3.1 vector of CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, yielding a critical base score of 9.8. Every exploitability metric is at its worst: network-accessible (AV:N), low complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction needed (UI:N).
The vulnerability is rooted in an incorrect implementation of the authentication algorithm used to protect the administrative panel of Ivanti Virtual Traffic Manager. The vTM admin panel is a web-based interface that allows administrators to configure traffic management policies, SSL/TLS settings, load balancing rules, and monitor application health. The authentication mechanism intended to protect this interface contains a logic flaw in its implementation that allows crafted requests to bypass the credential verification step entirely.
Authentication bypass through flawed algorithm implementation typically occurs when the code contains logic errors such as incorrect conditional checks, missing validation steps, improper state management, or faulty cryptographic token verification. The attacker does not need to guess or steal credentials; instead, they exploit the logical flaw in the authentication code path to be recognized as an authenticated administrator. Once authenticated as an admin, the attacker has full control over the vTM's configuration and management functions.
The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the vulnerability directly impacts the vTM application. However, the practical consequences are far-reaching because a traffic manager controls the flow of application traffic for potentially dozens or hundreds of backend services. All three impact metrics are rated high (C:H/I:H/A:H), reflecting the complete compromise that administrative access provides. Affected versions include Ivanti vTM 22.2, 22.3, 22.5, 22.6, and 22.7, with only versions 22.2R1 and 22.7R2 containing the corrected authentication implementation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2024-7593?
CVE-2024-7593 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Ivanti Virtual Traffic Manager (vTM) that allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to gain full administrative access to the traffic management admin panel. Caused by an incorrect authentication algorithm implementation, it has a CVSS score of 9.8 and the highest possible EPSS exploitation score.
Which versions of Ivanti vTM are affected?
Ivanti vTM versions 22.2, 22.3, 22.5, 22.6, and 22.7 are affected, except for versions 22.2R1 and 22.7R2 which contain the corrected authentication implementation. If you are running any affected version, you must upgrade to either 22.2R1 or 22.7R2 to remediate the vulnerability.
What can an attacker do after bypassing authentication?
With full administrative access to vTM, an attacker can modify traffic routing to redirect users to malicious servers, extract SSL/TLS private keys, alter load balancing configurations, intercept application traffic, disable health monitoring, and disrupt all managed applications. The traffic manager position in the infrastructure provides maximum control over application delivery.
How does this authentication bypass work?
Unlike brute-force or credential theft attacks, this vulnerability exploits a logical flaw in how the vTM admin panel verifies authentication. The authentication algorithm was implemented incorrectly, meaning an attacker can craft requests that pass the authentication checks without providing valid credentials. This makes exploitation trivial and does not require any prior knowledge of valid usernames or passwords.
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