CVE-2024-38475
Improper escaping of output in mod_rewrite in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.59 and earlier allows an attacker to map URLs to filesystem locations that are permitted to be served by the server but are not intentionally/directly reachable by any URL, resulting in code execution or source code disclosure. Substitutions in server context that use a backreferences or variables as the first segment of the substitution are affected. Some unsafe RewiteRules will be broken by this change and the rewrite flag "UnsafePrefixStat" can be used to opt back in once ensuring the substitution is appropriately constrained.
do firstApply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Can a WAF block it? Partly. Cloudflare publishes WAF a rule written for this CVE. Such rules block the known exploit requests and buy time, but attackers can change the request to get past them, so they do not replace the patch.
Cloudflare · 1 rule (Block) · since 19 May 2025
- Apache HTTP Server - Information Disclosure - CVE:CVE-2024-38475 · Cloudflare Managed Ruleset
Also consider: patch · enable the vendor rule in block mode
Based on WAF vendor rules published for this CVE. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Is CVE-2024-38475 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2024-38475 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2024-38475?
CVE-2024-38475 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.1. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2024-38475?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2024-38475. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2024-38475 affect?
CVE-2024-38475 affects apache:http_server, netapp:ontap_9, sonicwall:sma_200_firmware, sonicwall:sma_210_firmware, and 3 further products or versions. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
- affected>= 2.4.0 and <= 2.4.59
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.
public exploits
Unvetted proof-of-concept code on GitHub: 6 GitHub proofs of concept · 1 Nuclei template
- Sonicwall - Pre-Authentication Arbitrary File Read · detection template · critical
- p0in7s/CVE-2024-38475 · 17 ★
- soltanali0/CVE-2024-38475 · 5 ★
- abrewer251/CVE-2024-38475_SonicBoom_Apache_URL_Traversal_PoC · 0 ★
- syaifulandy/CVE-2024-38475 · 0 ★
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
cisa ssvc
- exploitation
- active
- automatable
- yes
- technical impact
- total
Assessed by CISA 2 May 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3).
timeline
- 1 Jul 2024Published
- 18 Aug 2024First proof-of-concept repository on GitHub (unvetted) · 47 days later
- 1 May 2025Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild) · 256 days (about 9 months) later
- 2 May 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active · 1 day later
- 22 May 2025CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies) · 20 days later
- 3 Nov 2025CVE record last updated · 166 days (about 6 months) later
- 2 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com · 364 days (about 12 months) later
- Advisoryhttpd.apache.org /security/vulnerabilities_24.html
- Linksecurity.netapp.com /advisory/ntap-20240712-0001/
- Linkcisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-38475
- Linkblackhat.com /us-24/briefings/schedule/index.html#confusion-attacks-exploiting-hidden-semanti
- Linkgithub.com /apache/httpd/commit/9a6157d1e2f7ab15963020381054b48782bc18cf
- Linkopenwall.com /lists/oss-security/2024/07/01/8
- Linkpsirt.global.sonicwall.com /vuln-detail/SNWLID-2024-0018
sources
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Nuclei templates: detection templates
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
- Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.