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Traffic ServerApplication · Apache

CVE-2024-50306

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.2.6 / 10.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Unchecked return value can allow Apache Traffic Server to retain privileges on startup. This issue affects Apache Traffic Server: from 9.2.0 through 9.2.5, from 10.0.0 through 10.0.1. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 9.2.6 or 10.0.2, which fixes the issue.

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 · high confidence

An unchecked return value during Apache Traffic Server startup prevents proper privilege dropping, allowing the service to retain elevated privileges when it should release them. This could enable privilege escalation or broader system access than intended.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache Traffic Server version 9.2.6 or 10.0.2 to obtain the patched binary, or apply the vendor patch which adds proper error checking for the privilege-dropping function.

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
Traffic ServerApplication
Affected:>= 9.0.0, < 9.2.6>= 10.0.0, < 10.0.2

CVSS 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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Apache Traffic Server version
    Run 'traffic_server --version' or 'traffic_ctl server version' from the command line to retrieve the installed version number
    Affected if The version output falls within 9.0.0 through 9.2.5, or 10.0.0 through 10.0.1 (the vulnerable ranges)
  2. Check binary package version via package manager
    On Red Hat/CentOS systems: 'rpm -qa | grep traffic'; on Debian/Ubuntu: 'dpkg -l | grep traffic'; on systems using 'pkg' utility: 'pkg info ats'
    Affected if The installed package version matches the affected ranges listed above
  3. Verify if privilege dropping is configured
    Examine the traffic_server configuration for user/group settings: look for 'proxy.config.http.user' or 'run_as_user' directives in records.config or traffic_server.yaml, and confirm the service is configured to start as root and drop privileges
    Affected if The configuration shows the service starts as root and attempts to drop to an unprivileged user, which triggers the vulnerable code path at startup
  4. Check for startup logs indicating privilege handling
    Review Apache Traffic Server startup logs (typically in /var/log/traffic-server/ or journalctl output) for messages related to 'setuid', 'setgid', or privilege operations
    Affected if Logs show successful or failed privilege transitions but no error is raised about the unchecked return value issue
  5. Verify binary build date or patch status
    Use 'traffic_server -V' or inspect the binary with 'file $(which traffic_server)' and check build timestamps; source code inspection would show if the fix for the unchecked return value in privilege dropping is present
    Affected if The binary predates the patched versions (9.2.6 or 10.0.2) and lacks the proper error checking code

A system is affected if it runs Apache Traffic Server version 9.0.0-9.2.5 or 10.0.0-10.0.1 and is configured to drop privileges from root to an unprivileged user at startup.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.2.6 / 10.0.2 or later
Fixed in 9.2.610.0.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache Traffic Server version 9.2.6 or 10.0.2 to obtain the patched binary, or apply the vendor patch which adds proper error checking for the privilege-dropping function.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Traffic Server 9.2.6 or 10.0.2 (depending on your major version branch)

  1. 1. Identify your current Apache Traffic Server version using 'traffic_server -V' or your package manager
  2. 2. If running 9.0.0 - 9.2.5, plan upgrade to version 9.2.6
  3. 3. If running 10.0.0 - 10.0.1, plan upgrade to version 10.0.2
  4. 4. Back up your current Traffic Server configuration (records.config, remap.config, and any custom plugins)
  5. 5. Stop the Traffic Server service
  6. 6. Upgrade using your package manager (apt-get, yum, or from source) to the appropriate fixed version
  7. 7. Start the Traffic Server service
  8. 8. Verify the new version is running with 'traffic_server -V'

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Traffic Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-50306 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data