CVE-2024-11186 is a critical vulnerability classified under CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) affecting Arista Networks CloudVision Portal when deployed on-premise. The vulnerability arises from improper access controls within the CloudVision Portal software, which manages Arista EOS network devices. Specifically, a malicious user who is authenticated to the portal can exploit this flaw to escalate their privileges and perform broader actions on managed EOS devices than originally permitted by their access level. This could include unauthorized configuration changes, device management, or potentially disruptive commands. The vulnerability affects a wide range of CloudVision Portal versions spanning from 2017.2 through 2024.3.0, indicating a long-standing issue across multiple releases. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 10.0, reflecting a critical severity with network attack vector, no required privileges or user interaction, and complete impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially compromised component. Importantly, this vulnerability does not impact the CloudVision as-a-Service offering, only on-premise deployments. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the critical nature and ease of exploitation make this a high-risk issue for affected organizations. The lack of available patches at the time of reporting further elevates the urgency for mitigation.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-11186 can be severe, especially for enterprises and service providers relying on Arista EOS devices managed via on-premise CloudVision Portal installations. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized control over network infrastructure, enabling attackers to intercept, modify, or disrupt network traffic, potentially causing widespread service outages or data breaches. This is particularly critical for sectors such as finance, telecommunications, energy, and government, where network integrity and availability are paramount. The vulnerability’s ability to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability simultaneously means attackers could exfiltrate sensitive data, alter network configurations to create persistent backdoors, or launch denial-of-service conditions. Given the critical infrastructure role of network devices, exploitation could also have cascading effects on connected systems and services. The absence of required privileges or user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation, increasing the threat landscape. European organizations with on-premise CloudVision Portal deployments must consider this vulnerability a top priority for risk management and incident response planning.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting access to the CloudVision Portal to trusted administrators only, using network segmentation and strict firewall rules to limit exposure. 2. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all portal users to reduce the risk of credential compromise leading to exploitation. 3. Monitor portal logs and network traffic for unusual activities indicative of privilege escalation attempts or unauthorized device management commands. 4. Where possible, temporarily disable or limit the use of on-premise CloudVision Portal until a vendor patch or update is released. 5. Engage with Arista Networks support to obtain any available security advisories, workarounds, or patches as soon as they become available. 6. Conduct a thorough audit of user permissions within the portal to ensure the principle of least privilege is enforced, minimizing the potential impact of compromised accounts. 7. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential network device compromise scenarios, including rapid isolation and recovery procedures. 8. Consider transitioning to CloudVision as-a-Service if feasible, as this service is not affected by this vulnerability. 9. Keep all network device firmware and management software up to date to reduce exposure to other vulnerabilities that could be chained with this issue.