Detect SimpleHelp Missing Authorization Vulnerability (CVE-2024-57726) in Elastic Security
CVE-2024-57726 is a missing authorization vulnerability (CWE-862) in SimpleHelp remote support software versions 5.5.7 and earlier. This CISA KEV-listed vulnerability allows unauthenticated or low-privileged attackers to bypass authorization controls, potentially enabling unauthorized access to administrative functions, file system traversal, or remote code execution on systems running the SimpleHelp server. Active exploitation has been observed in the wild.
MITRE ATT&CK
Elastic Detection Query
sequence by host.name with maxspan=5m
[network where process.name like~ "*SimpleHelp*" or process.name like~ "*java*"
and network.direction == "ingress"
and destination.port in (80, 443, 5850, 5900)]
[any where
(http.request.method in ("POST", "PUT") and url.path like~ "*/admin*" and not user.name : ("*admin*", "*operator*"))
or (process.parent.name like~ "*SimpleHelp*" and process.name in ("cmd.exe", "powershell.exe", "bash", "sh"))
]EQL sequence detection for CVE-2024-57726 exploitation, correlating inbound SimpleHelp network connections with subsequent unauthorized admin API calls or suspicious child process creation from the SimpleHelp parent process.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Authorized administrators performing legitimate admin tasks through the SimpleHelp interface
- SimpleHelp scheduled maintenance tasks that spawn subprocesses
- Penetration testing activities against SimpleHelp in authorized test environments
- SimpleHelp integration with legitimate automation tools using API endpoints
Other platforms for CVE-2024-57726
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Unauthenticated SimpleHelp Admin Endpoint Access
Expected signal: Web server access logs will show HTTP GET/POST requests to /admin or /api/ paths from the test IP with no Authorization header or session cookie. If vulnerable, HTTP 200 response codes will be logged. Network monitoring will show connections to the SimpleHelp service port from the test host.
- Test 2SimpleHelp Operator Privilege Escalation via Missing Auth
Expected signal: Windows: PowerShell Script Block Logging (Event ID 4104) will capture the Invoke-WebRequest calls. Network: HTTP requests to /api/admin/* endpoints will appear in SimpleHelp access logs. Sysmon Event ID 3 will log network connections from powershell.exe to the SimpleHelp host.
- Test 3Post-Exploitation Command Execution via SimpleHelp Remote Session
Expected signal: Linux: auditd will log bash process creation with the reconnaissance commands (execve syscalls). Syslog will record the command execution. On the SimpleHelp server, session logs will show a remote session connection from an unrecognized IP with commands executed. Network telemetry will show the SimpleHelp client-server communication pattern.
- Test 4SimpleHelp Configuration Exfiltration via Unauthorized API Access
Expected signal: Web server logs on the SimpleHelp host will record sequential GET requests to multiple API endpoints from the same source IP within a short timeframe — a pattern indicative of automated enumeration. Network monitoring will show the HTTP request/response pairs. If SimpleHelp logs API access, entries without authentication context will appear.
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