CVE-2024-7012VulnerabilityPublished 4 Sep 2024Updated 11 Nov 2025

CVE-2024-7012: Improper Authentication

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.8Critical

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 55% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 4 Sep 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-7012, organizations should take the following specific actions: 1) Immediately review and harden Apache mod_proxy configurations to ensure headers with underscores are properly handled or blocked, preventing malformed headers from bypassing authentication. 2) Monitor official Red Hat advisories and apply patches or updates for Satellite versions 6.13, 6.14, and 6.15 as soon as they are released. 3) Implement strict network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Satellite management interfaces to trusted networks only. 4) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or proxy filters capable of detecting and blocking suspicious HTTP headers with underscores or malformed requests. 5) Conduct thorough audits of current Satellite deployments to detect any unauthorized administrative access or suspicious activity. 6) Consider temporary disabling or restricting External Authentication integration if feasible until patches are applied. 7) Educate system administrators about this vulnerability and the importance of secure proxy and header configurations. These targeted steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific Apache mod_proxy header handling issue and the Satellite deployment context.

Description

An authentication bypass vulnerability has been identified in Foreman when deployed with External Authentication, due to the puppet-foreman configuration. This issue arises from Apache's mod_proxy not properly unsetting headers because of restrictions on underscores in HTTP headers, allowing authentication through a malformed header. This flaw impacts all active Satellite deployments (6.13, 6.14 and 6.15) and could potentially enable unauthorized users to gain administrative access.

Impact

The impact of CVE-2024-7012 is severe for organizations worldwide using Red Hat Satellite for infrastructure management. Successful exploitation grants attackers unauthorized administrative access, enabling them to control and manipulate managed systems, deploy malicious configurations, or disrupt services. This compromises confidentiality by exposing sensitive configuration and operational data, integrity by allowing unauthorized changes, and availability by potentially disabling or sabotaging infrastructure management. Given Satellite’s role in managing large-scale Linux environments, the vulnerability could lead to widespread operational disruption, data breaches, and lateral movement within enterprise networks. The ease of exploitation (no authentication or user interaction required) and network accessibility increase the likelihood of attacks. Organizations in sectors such as government, finance, telecommunications, and cloud service providers that rely heavily on Satellite are particularly vulnerable. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for remediation, but the critical nature demands immediate attention to prevent potential attacks.

References

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