CVE-2024-56320

High

Published: 03 January 2025

Published

03 January 2025

Modified

01 August 2025

KEV Added

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Patch

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CVSS Score 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Score 0.0118 78.9th percentile

Risk Priority 18 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2024-56320 is a high-severity Improper Authorization (CWE-285) vulnerability in Thoughtworks Gocd. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 21.1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).

Threat & Defense at a Glance

What attackers do: exploitation maps to Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068). What defenders deploy: see the NIST 800-53 controls recommended below.

Threat & Defense Details

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

AC-3 Access Enforcement good match

prevent

Enforces approved authorizations for logical access to prevent authenticated users from reaching admin-only Configuration XML UI and API features.

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match

prevent

Requires identification, reporting, and timely remediation of flaws like this improper authorization vulnerability through patching to GoCD 24.5.0.

AC-6 Least Privilege partial match

prevent

Applies least privilege to limit necessary user access and regularly reviews privileges, mitigating the impact of potential escalation to admin.

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation

Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.

attack.mitre.org →

Why these techniques?

Improper authorization directly enables authenticated low-privileged users to access admin-only Configuration XML functions and APIs, resulting in persistent privilege escalation to full administrator level.

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v18.1

NVD Description

GoCD is a continuous deliver server. GoCD versions prior to 24.5.0 are vulnerable to admin privilege escalation due to improper authorization of access to the admin "Configuration XML" UI feature, and its associated API. A malicious insider/existing authenticated GoCD user…

with an existing GoCD user account could abuse this vulnerability to access information intended only for GoCD admins, or to escalate their privileges to that of a GoCD admin in a persistent manner. it is not possible for this vulnerability to be abused prior to authentication/login. The issue is fixed in GoCD 24.5.0. GoCD users who are not able to immediate upgrade can mitigate this issue by using a reverse proxy, WAF or similar to externally block access paths with a `/go/rails/` prefix. Blocking this route causes no loss of functionality. If it is not possible to upgrade or block the above route, consider reducing the GoCD user base to more trusted set of users, including temporarily disabling use of plugins such as the guest-login-plugin, which allow limited anonymous access as a regular user account.

Deeper analysisAI

CVE-2024-56320 is an improper authorization vulnerability (CWE-285) in GoCD, an open-source continuous delivery server. Versions prior to 24.5.0 are affected due to inadequate access controls on the admin "Configuration XML" UI feature and its associated API, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions. The issue carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), highlighting high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.

An authenticated GoCD user, such as a malicious insider with an existing account, can exploit this vulnerability over the network with low complexity and no user interaction required. Exploitation allows the attacker to view information restricted to GoCD administrators or persistently escalate their privileges to full admin level. Prior authentication is necessary, preventing unauthenticated abuse.

The vulnerability is fixed in GoCD version 24.5.0, as detailed in the official release notes and security advisory. For those unable to upgrade immediately, mitigations include blocking access to paths with the /go/rails/ prefix using a reverse proxy or WAF, which incurs no functionality loss. Alternatively, administrators should reduce the user base to trusted individuals and disable plugins like guest-login-plugin that enable anonymous access as regular users. Relevant resources include the GoCD GitHub security advisory (GHSA-346h-q594-rj8j), patch commit, and release page.