Mitel MiCollab Vulnerabilities: CVE-2024-35286 and CVE-2024-41713

Mitel’s MiCollab Unified Communications solutions are widely used by businesses to streamline communications. However, two critical vulnerabilities, CVE-2024-35286 and CVE-2024-41713, have been identified across several versions of Mitel MiCollab. CVE-2024-35286  has been identified in versions 9.8.0.33 and earlier and CVE-2024-41713 has been identified in versions 9.8 SP1 FP2 (9.8.1.201) and earlier.

While Mitel published advisories addressing these issues in May 2024, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) issued a critical alert on 9th December, underscoring the significant risk these vulnerabilities pose.

In this post, we’ll explore these vulnerabilities—SQL injection and path traversal—along with their potential impact, response measures, and how UpGuard Breach Risk can help you identify and mitigate them.

What Are SQL Injection and Path Traversal Vulnerabilities?

SQL Injection (CVE-2024-35286)

SQL injection is a common attack technique where adversaries exploit vulnerabilities in an application’s database queries. By injecting malicious SQL statements, attackers can:

• Exfiltrate sensitive data from databases
• Alter or delete critical information
• Gain unauthorized administrative access to servers

For Mitel MiCollab, this vulnerability could allow attackers to compromise stored user credentials, access communication logs, or escalate privileges within the system.

Path Traversal (CVE-2024-41713)

Path traversal vulnerabilities enable attackers to manipulate file paths to access restricted files or directories. Exploiting this vulnerability can result in:

• Unauthorized access to sensitive system files, such as configuration settings or stored credentials
• Execution of malicious scripts or code
• Potential full system compromise
  

In the context of Mitel MiCollab, an attacker could leverage this vulnerability to gain access to files critical to the integrity and security of Unified Communications systems.

Why These Vulnerabilities Matter

Unified Communication (UC) platforms like Mitel MiCollab are essential to business operations, particularly for organizations with distributed teams. Exploiting vulnerabilities in these platforms can lead to:

• Operational disruption: Attackers can disrupt communication systems, impacting productivity and service delivery.
• Data breaches: Confidential business communications and user information can be exposed, violating privacy regulations like GDPR or CCPA.
• Reputational damage: A breach of critical communications infrastructure can significantly damage customer and partner trust.
• Regulatory penalties: Non-compliance with cybersecurity regulations can result in fines and legal action.

How to Respond to Mitel MiCollab Vulnerabilities

1. Apply Security Updates

Mitel has issued patches addressing these vulnerabilities. Organizations should immediately update affected systems to the latest versions. Refer to the Mitel security advisories for details:

• Mitel Product Security Advisory 24-0014
• Mitel Product Security Advisory MISA-2024-0029

2. Harden Your Environment

• Network Segmentation: Isolate Mitel MiCollab systems from other critical infrastructure.
• Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): Deploy a WAF to detect and block malicious SQL injection and path traversal attempts.

3. Monitor for Anomalies

Enable detailed logging on Mitel MiCollab systems to monitor unusual file access patterns or SQL query execution.

4. Conduct Penetration Testing

Regularly test your Mitel MiCollab environment to uncover potential security gaps.

What to do next: assess and mitigate risks

Step 1: See if you’re affected

• Check your internal systems: UpGuard Breach Risk automatically detects CVE-2024-35286 across your internal IT infrastructure. Navigate to your detected vulnerabilities feed within Breach Risk and search for each CVE to determine if your systems are affected.
  
  
• Check your vendors: Assess your vendor ecosystem's exposure using UpGuard Vendor Risk. Go to the Portfolio Risk Profile and search for CVE-2024-35286 to see if your vendors are impacted. If a vendor is at risk, you can send a remediation request directly through UpGuard to initiate a response.

Step 2: If you’re affected, take immediate action

• Ensure Mitel MiCollab is updated: Make sure you use the latest version of Mitel MiCollab. Check for and apply relevant security patches and hotfixes from https://www.mitel.com/support/security-advisories
  
  
• Mitigate risk across your ecosystem: Evaluate risk exposure within your organization and third- and fourth-party vendors. If vulnerabilities are detected, take prompt steps to mitigate them, such as removing the vulnerable version, applying patches, or changing configurations.

If you or one of your vendors uses Mitel MiCollab, you should ensure you’re using the latest version and then prepare to take the next steps in risk mitigation and incident response. If you detect a vendor at risk of either of these vulnerabilities, you can send a remediation request directly within the UpGuard platform. This will allow the technology owner to understand the tool's current state and the necessary steps to achieve comprehensive remediation. 

Detecting vulnerabilities with UpGuard

UpGuard provides a comprehensive approach to cyber risk management. From detecting risks across your external attack surface (exposed information in your HTTP headers, website content, open ports, and other common attack vectors) to identifying vulnerabilities across your vendor network, with UpGuard you can mitigate risks before they become harmful. 

• Attack surface monitoring: UpGuard Breach Risk helps you detect critical vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-35286 across your attack surface, ensuring swift identification and remediation.
• Continuous security monitoring: With UpGuard Vendor Risk, you can monitor your vendors’ exposure to these vulnerabilities and take corrective action. This proactive approach helps you ensure you and your third-party vendors maintain a secure and resilient infrastructure.

Leverage UpGuard to Stay Ahead of Threats

Security vulnerabilities in critical platforms like Mitel MiCollab demand immediate attention from security professionals. SQL injection and path traversal vulnerabilities can compromise sensitive business data, disrupt operations, and damage reputations.

Organizations can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation and enhance their overall security posture by applying patches, implementing protective measures, and leveraging tools like UpGuard Breach Risk.

Learn how UpGuard Breach Risk can help secure your Mitel MiCollab systems and keep your business communications safe.