CVE-2025-24801

Remediation / Mitigation Strategy for CVE-2025-24801: GLPI Arbitrary PHP File Upload and Execution

Description of Vulnerability:

CVE-2025-24801 describes a critical vulnerability in GLPI (free asset and IT management software) where an authenticated user can upload and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server. This allows a malicious user to potentially gain complete control of the GLPI installation and the server itself.

Severity:

  • CVSS v3 Score: 8.5 (High) - based on the data provided. The actual CVSS score may vary slightly depending on the vector string.
  • Impact: Critical. Successful exploitation allows for remote code execution (RCE), leading to:
    • Complete system compromise.
    • Data theft and modification.
    • Denial of Service (DoS).
    • Malware distribution.

Known Exploit:

The provided information indicates a vulnerability exists that allows the upload and execution of arbitrary PHP files. While specific exploit details are not present in the extracted data, the nature of the vulnerability is itself the exploit:

  1. Authentication: The attacker must first authenticate as a valid GLPI user. This could be achieved through brute-force attacks on weak passwords, stolen credentials, or exploiting other vulnerabilities that might lead to authentication bypass.
  2. File Upload: The attacker uses a GLPI functionality (e.g., profile picture update, document upload, etc.) to upload a malicious PHP file. The vulnerability lies in the lack of proper file type validation and sanitization.
  3. Execution: The attacker then triggers the execution of the uploaded PHP file, typically by accessing it directly via a web browser (e.g., http://glpi.example.com/uploads/malicious.php). The server then processes the malicious PHP code, granting the attacker control over the system.

Remediation Steps:

The immediate and primary remediation step is to upgrade to GLPI version 10.0.18 or later. This version contains the fix for CVE-2025-24801.

Mitigation Strategies (in addition to upgrading, or as temporary measures if upgrading is not immediately possible):

These are layered defense measures to reduce the risk of exploitation even if the vulnerable version is still in use temporarily.

  1. Immediate Upgrade: Prioritize upgrading your GLPI installation to version 10.0.18 as soon as possible. This is the most effective solution. Follow the official GLPI upgrade documentation: https://glpi-project.org/ (Replace with actual upgrade documentation if available).
  2. Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules: Implement or update WAF rules to:

    • Block PHP file uploads: Inspect the content of uploaded files and block any files with a .php extension. Use regular expressions to catch variations like .php5, .phtml, etc. Example modsecurity rule:

          SecRule REQUEST_FILENAME "(\.php[0-9]?|\.phtml)$" "id:12345,phase:2,deny,msg:'PHP File Upload Blocked'"
*   **Inspect POST request bodies for PHP code:**  Use WAF rules to analyze the contents of POST requests for common PHP functions (e.g., `eval()`, `system()`, `exec()`) and block suspicious requests.

    • Limit upload file size: Restrict the maximum size of uploaded files to prevent attackers from uploading large malicious payloads.

  3. File Upload Directory Restrictions:

    • Restrict execution permissions: Ensure that the file upload directories within GLPI (e.g., /var/www/html/glpi/files or similar) have execution permissions disabled. This prevents the server from directly executing PHP files within those directories.

    • Isolate the upload directory: Configure the web server to treat the upload directory as a static file repository, disallowing PHP execution. For example, in Apache:

          <Directory /var/www/html/glpi/files>
Options -ExecCGI
AddHandler application/octet-stream .php
      * **Use `open_basedir` in `php.ini`:** Restrict PHP's access to the file system by setting the `open_basedir` directive in `php.ini` to only allow access to necessary directories. This can limit the impact of a successful RCE.
  4. Input Validation and Sanitization:
    • Review and strengthen input validation: Thoroughly review the GLPI code (if possible) and ensure that all user-supplied input, especially file names and content, is properly validated and sanitized. This is crucial to prevent malicious code from being injected.
    • Implement strict whitelist-based filtering: Instead of trying to block all potentially dangerous characters, define a strict whitelist of allowed characters for file names and content.
  5. Access Control:
    • Principle of Least Privilege: Review user roles and permissions within GLPI and ensure that users only have the minimum necessary access to perform their job functions. Limit administrative privileges to only those who absolutely require them.
    • Monitor User Activity: Implement logging and monitoring of user activity within GLPI to detect suspicious behavior, such as unusual file uploads or access attempts.
  6. Security Auditing:
    • Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits of your GLPI installation and the underlying server infrastructure to identify and address any potential vulnerabilities.
    • Penetration Testing: Consider engaging a qualified security firm to perform penetration testing to simulate real-world attacks and identify vulnerabilities that may have been missed.
  7. Web Server Configuration:
    • Keep web server software updated: Ensure that your web server (e.g., Apache, Nginx) is running the latest version with all security patches applied.
    • Disable unnecessary modules: Disable any web server modules that are not required for GLPI to function properly to reduce the attack surface.

Monitoring and Detection:

  • Monitor system logs: Regularly monitor system logs for suspicious activity, such as unauthorized file access or execution attempts.
  • Implement intrusion detection systems (IDS): Deploy an IDS to detect and alert on malicious activity targeting your GLPI server.
  • File integrity monitoring: Use tools like AIDE or Tripwire to monitor the integrity of critical system files and detect any unauthorized modifications.

Communication:

  • Inform all users of the potential security risk and encourage them to report any suspicious activity immediately.
  • Establish a clear communication plan for responding to security incidents.

Important Considerations:

  • Testing: Thoroughly test all remediation and mitigation steps in a non-production environment before implementing them in production.
  • Documentation: Document all remediation and mitigation steps taken.
  • Vendor Updates: Stay informed about the latest security advisories and updates from the GLPI vendor.

This strategy provides a comprehensive approach to mitigating the risk posed by CVE-2025-24801. The focus should be on immediate patching, followed by layered security measures to protect the GLPI installation and the underlying server.

Assigner

Date

  • Published Date: 2025-03-18 18:32:06
  • Updated Date: 2025-03-18 19:15:49

More Details

CVE-2025-24801