CVE-2024-0643 is a critical vulnerability identified in the C21 Live Encoder and Live Mosaic products, version 5.3, developed by Cires21. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-434, which pertains to the unrestricted upload of files with dangerous types. Specifically, this flaw allows a remote attacker to upload files with arbitrary extensions without any validation or restriction. Because the product fails to properly restrict or sanitize uploaded file types, an attacker can upload malicious files such as web shells, scripts, or executables. This can lead to full system compromise, including unauthorized code execution, data theft, or disruption of service. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 10.0, indicating a critical severity level, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), no required privileges (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and scope change (S:C). The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability is exploitable remotely without authentication or user interaction, making it highly dangerous. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the ease of exploitation and critical impact make it a significant threat. The lack of available patches at the time of publication further increases risk for affected users. This vulnerability affects media encoding and streaming infrastructure, which are often integral to broadcasting, live event streaming, and content delivery networks.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-0643 can be severe, especially for entities relying on C21 Live Encoder and Live Mosaic products for live video encoding and streaming services. Compromise of these systems could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive media content, disruption of live broadcasts, and potential lateral movement within corporate networks. This could damage the reputation of media companies, broadcasters, and event organizers, resulting in financial losses and regulatory scrutiny under GDPR if personal data is exposed. Additionally, attackers could leverage compromised encoding infrastructure to distribute malicious content or conduct further attacks against viewers or connected systems. The critical nature of this vulnerability means that organizations using these products must treat it as an urgent security risk, as exploitation could lead to full system takeover without any user interaction or authentication barriers.

Immediate mitigation steps include isolating affected systems from untrusted networks to reduce exposure. Organizations should implement strict network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to the encoding devices. Since no patches are currently available, consider disabling or restricting the file upload functionality where possible. Employ application-layer filtering or proxy solutions to inspect and block uploads of dangerous file types. Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual upload activity or signs of exploitation attempts. Engage with the vendor, Cires21, to obtain updates on patch availability and apply security updates as soon as they are released. Additionally, conduct a thorough security review of the deployment environment, including privilege management and access controls, to minimize the impact of a potential compromise. Implementing intrusion detection systems (IDS) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions can help identify and respond to exploitation attempts quickly.