Secure Access: Untrusted Pointer Dereference
CVE-2024-40872 is a high-severity untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability in Secure Access from Absolute Security, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.4 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 13.07 as the first without the flaw, so updating Secure Access to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Secure Access to 13.07 or a later version.
- Update secure_access to 13.07 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Security | Secure Access | before 13.07 | 13.07 |
| Absolute | secure_access | before 13.07 | 13.07 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by CNA (netmotionsoftware.com).
Official description
There is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in server and client components of Absolute Secure Access prior to version 13.07. Attackers with local access and valid desktop user credentials can elevate their privilege to system level by passing invalid address data to the vulnerable component. This could be used to manipulate process tokens to elevate the privilege of a normal process to System. The scope is changed, the impact to system confidentiality and integrity is high, the impact to the availability of the effected component is none.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Untrusted Pointer Dereference
The product obtains a value from an untrusted source, converts this value to a pointer, and dereferences the resulting pointer.
More Untrusted Pointer Dereference vulnerabilities (CWE-822)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in Secure Access
- 9.4 Critical severity
- 9.3 Critical severity
- 8.7 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Untrusted Pointer Dereference vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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