CVE-2024-13161 is an absolute path traversal vulnerability classified under CWE-36 affecting Ivanti Endpoint Manager prior to the 2024 January-2025 and 2022 SU6 January-2025 Security Updates. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker with no authentication or user interaction to craft specially crafted requests that exploit improper validation of file paths. By manipulating input parameters, the attacker can traverse the file system outside of intended directories and access sensitive files, potentially leaking confidential information. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as attackers could read sensitive configuration files, credentials, or system data, and potentially modify or disrupt service. The CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8 reflects the critical nature of this flaw, with attack vector network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality (C:H), integrity (I:H), and availability (A:H). Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the ease of exploitation and severity make this a high-priority issue. Ivanti Endpoint Manager is widely used for endpoint management in enterprise environments, making this vulnerability a significant risk for organizations relying on this product for IT asset management and security enforcement.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive corporate and personal data managed through Ivanti Endpoint Manager. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information such as credentials, configuration files, or proprietary data, potentially enabling further attacks or data breaches. The integrity and availability of endpoint management services could also be compromised, disrupting IT operations and security controls. Given the criticality of endpoint management in enterprise security, this could cascade into broader organizational risks including compliance violations under GDPR due to data exposure. The lack of authentication requirement and ease of exploitation increase the threat level, especially for organizations with externally accessible Ivanti management interfaces. This vulnerability could also be leveraged as a foothold for lateral movement within networks, amplifying its impact.

Immediate application of the official Ivanti Endpoint Manager security updates released in the 2024 January-2025 and 2022 SU6 January-2025 Security Updates is essential. Organizations should verify that all instances of Ivanti Endpoint Manager are updated to these patched versions. Network segmentation and restricting access to the management interface to trusted internal networks or VPNs can reduce exposure. Implementing web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block path traversal attempts can provide an additional layer of defense. Regularly audit and monitor logs for unusual file access patterns or suspicious requests targeting the management interface. Employ the principle of least privilege for service accounts and restrict file system permissions to minimize potential damage. Conduct internal penetration testing to verify the effectiveness of mitigations and ensure no residual vulnerabilities remain. Finally, maintain an incident response plan to quickly address any exploitation attempts.