CVE-2024-49824
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIBM Robotic Process Automation 21.0.0 through 21.0.7.18 and 23.0.0 through 23.0.18 and IBM Robotic Process Automation for Cloud Pak 21.0.0 through 21.0.7.18 and 23.0.0 through 23.0.18 could allow an authenticated user to perform unauthorized actions as a privileged user due to improper validation of client-side security enforcement.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceIBM Robotic Process Automation contains a broken access control vulnerability where client-side security validation can be bypassed, allowing authenticated users to perform unauthorized actions with privileged user permissions. The server improperly trusts client-side enforcement mechanisms, enabling privilege escalation.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 21.0.0, < 21.0.7.19>= 23.0.0, < 23.0.19>= 21.0.0, < 21.0.7.19>= 23.0.0, < 23.0.19CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify IBM RPA installation versionCheck the installed version of IBM Robotic Process Automation. In the RPA dashboard, go to About or Settings > Version Information. Alternatively, check the installation directory for a version file or run: rpm -qa | grep ibm-rpa or docker images | grep ibm-rpa depending on installation method.Affected if The installed version is >= 21.0.0 and < 21.0.7.19, OR >= 23.0.0 and < 23.0.19
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Identify IBM RPA for Cloud Pak versionIf using IBM RPA as part of Cloud Pak for Automation or Cloud Pak for Business Automation, check the operator or operand version. Run: oc get ibmrpa <instance-name> -o jsonpath='{.spec.version}' or check the IBM RPA operator version in Operator Lifecycle Manager.Affected if The Cloud Pak RPA version is >= 21.0.0 and < 21.0.7.19, OR >= 23.0.0 and < 23.0.19
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Verify presence of privileged user accountsReview user accounts with elevated or privileged roles in IBM RPA. Access Administration > Users or Security > Users panel. Look for accounts assigned roles such as Administrator, RPA Administrator, or custom privileged roles.Affected if Privileged user accounts exist in the system, as these could be targeted for privilege escalation exploitation.
You are affected if your IBM RPA installation version falls within 21.0.0 to 21.0.7.18 (inclusive) or 23.0.0 to 23.0.18 (inclusive), regardless of configuration, since the vulnerability stems from the server trusting client-side validation in these versions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped21.0.7.1923.0.19
Apply IBM RPA security patches for versions 21.0.7.19+ and 23.0.19+. Until patched, minimize the number of privileged user accounts and implement additional server-side access control logging and monitoring.
21.0.7.19 or later for 21.x branches; 23.0.19 or later for 23.x branches
- Identify the currently installed IBM Robotic Process Automation version using the product's version information panel
- For IBM RPA (on-premises) versions 21.0.0 through 21.0.7.18: upgrade to version 21.0.7.19 or later
- For IBM RPA (on-premises) versions 23.0.0 through 23.0.18: upgrade to version 23.0.19 or later
- For IBM RPA for Cloud Pak versions 21.0.0 through 21.0.7.18: upgrade to version 21.0.7.19 or later
- For IBM RPA for Cloud Pak versions 23.0.0 through 23.0.18: upgrade to version 23.0.19 or later
- After upgrade, verify the version matches the fixed release
- Test that client-side security enforcement now properly validates on the server side
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-49824 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-49824 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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