AA20-020A: Critical Vulnerability in Citrix Application Delivery Controller, Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP

Posted on by CDSB Blog

Summary

Note: As of January 24, 2020, Citrix has released all expected updates in response to CVE-2019-19781.[1] 

On January 19, 2020, Citrix released firmware updates for Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and Citrix Gateway versions 11.1 and 12.0.
On January 22, 2020, Citrix released security updates for vulnerable SD-WAN WANOP appliances.
On January 23, 2020, Citrix released firmware updates for Citrix ADC and Gateway versions 12.1 and 13.0.
On January 24, 2020, Citrix released firmware updates for Citrix ADC and Gateway version 10.5.

A remote, unauthenticated attacker could exploit CVE-2019-19781 to perform arbitrary code execution.[2] This vulnerability has been detected in exploits in the wild.[3]

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) strongly recommends that all users and administrators upgrade their vulnerable appliances as soon as possible.

Timeline of Specific Events

  • December 17, 2019 – Citrix released Security Bulletin CTX267027 with mitigations steps.
  • January 8, 2020 – The CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) released Vulnerability Note VU#619785: Citrix Application Delivery Controller and Citrix Gateway Web Server Vulnerability,[4] and CISA releases a Current Activity entry.[5]
  • January 10, 2020 – The National Security Agency (NSA) released a Cybersecurity Advisory on CVE-2019-19781.[6]
  • January 11, 2020 – Citrix released blog post on CVE-2019-19781 with timeline for fixes.[7]
  • January 13, 2020 – CISA released a Current Activity entry describing their utility that enables users and administrators to test whether their Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway firmware is susceptible to the CVE-2019-19781 vulnerability.[8] 
  • January 16, 2020 – Citrix announced that Citrix SD-WAN WANOP appliance is also vulnerable to CVE-2019-19781.
  • January 19, 2020 – Citrix released firmware updates for Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway versions 11.1 and 12.0 and blog post on accelerated schedule for fixes.[9]
  • January 22, 2020 – Citrix released security updates for Citrix SD-WAN WANOP release 10.2.6 and 11.0.3.[10]
  • January 22, 2020 – Citrix and FireEye Mandiant released an indicator of compromise (IOC) scanning tool for CVE-2019-19781.[11]
  • January 23, 2020 – Citrix released firmware updates for Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway versions 12.1 and 13.0.[12]
  • January 24, 2020 – Citrix released firmware updates for Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway version 10.5.

Technical Details

Impact

On December 17, 2019, Citrix reported vulnerability CVE-2019-19781. A remote, unauthenticated attacker could exploit this vulnerability to perform arbitrary code execution. This vulnerability has been detected in exploits in the wild.

The vulnerability affects the following appliances:

  • Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway version 10.5 – all supported builds
  • Citrix ADC and NetScaler Gateway version 11.1 – all supported builds before 11.1.63.15
  • Citrix ADC and NetScaler Gateway version 12.0 – all supported builds before 12.0.63.13
  • Citrix ADC and NetScaler Gateway version 12.1 – all supported builds before 12.1.55.18
  • Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway version 13.0 – all supported builds before 13.0.47.24
  • Citrix SD-WAN WANOP appliance models 4000-WO, 4100-WO, 5000-WO, and 5100-WO – all supported software release builds before 10.2.6b and 11.0.3b. (Citrix SD-WAN WANOP is vulnerable because it packages Citrix ADC as a load balancer).

Detection Measures

Citrix and FireEye Mandiant released an IOC scanning tool for CVE-2019-19781 on January 22, 2020. The tool aids customers with detecting potential IOCs based on known attacks and exploits.[13]

See the National Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Advisory on CVE-2020-19781 for other detection measures.[14]

CISA released a utility that enables users and administrators to detect whether their Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway firmware is susceptible to CVE-2019-19781.[15] CISA encourages administrators to visit CISA’s GitHub page to download and run the tool.

Mitigations

CISA strongly recommends users and administrators update Citrix ADC, Citrix Gateway, and Citrix SD-WAN WANOP as soon as possible.

The fixed builds can be downloaded from Citrix Downloads pages for Citrix ADC, Citrix Gateway, and Citrix SD-WAN.

Until the appropriate update is implemented, users and administrators should apply Citrix’s interim mitigation steps for CVE-2019-19781.[16] Verify the successful application of the above mitigations by using the tool in CTX269180 – CVE-2019-19781 – Verification ToolTest. Note: these mitigation steps apply to Citrix ADC and SD-WAN WANOP deployments.[17]

Refer to table 1 for Citrix’s planned fix schedule.[18]

Table 1. Fix schedule for Citrix appliances vulnerable to CVE-2019-19781

Vulnerable ApplianceFirmware UpdateRelease Date
Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway version 10.5Refresh Build 10.5.70.12January 24, 2020
Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway version 11.1Refresh Build 11.1.63.15January 19, 2020
Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway version 12.0Refresh Build 12.0.63.13January 19, 2020
Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway version 12.1Refresh Build      12.1.55.18January 23, 2020
Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway version 13.0Refresh Build 13.0.47.24January 23, 2020
Citrix SD-WAN WANOP Release 10.2.6Build 10.2.6bJanuary 22, 2020
Citrix SD-WAN WANOP Release 11.0.3Build 11.0.3bJanuary 22, 2020

Administrators should review NSA’s Citrix Advisory for other mitigations, such as applying the following defense-in-depth strategy:

“Consider deploying a VPN capability using standardized protocols, preferably ones listed on the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) Product Compliant List (PCL), in front of publicly accessible Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway appliances to require user authentication for the VPN before being able to reach these appliances. Use of a proprietary SSLVPN/TLSVPN is discouraged.”

References

Revisions

  • January 20, 2020: Initial Version
  • January 23, 2020: Updated with information about Citrix releasing fixes for SD-WAN WANOP appliances and an IOC scanning tool
  • January 24, 2020: Updated with information about Citrix releasing fixes for Citrix ADC and Gateway versions 10.5, 12.1, and 13.0

Disclaimer: CDS Bureau received this information from NCAS, and sharing with our readers for information purposes only. CDS Bureau assumes no liability resulting from sharing this information and its application.

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