A newly discovered critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-24049) in Azure CLI poses severe risks, including command injection and privilege escalation. This security flaw affects Windows IT environments leveraging Microsoft's cloud management toolset, requiring immediate attention from administrators.

Understanding CVE-2025-24049

The vulnerability resides in Azure CLI's command parsing mechanism, specifically affecting versions 2.45.0 through 2.49.1. Researchers discovered that improperly sanitized input in certain CLI commands could allow:

  • Arbitrary command execution with elevated privileges
  • Bypass of Azure Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC)
  • Potential lateral movement within cloud environments

Technical Analysis

The flaw emerges when processing specially crafted arguments in:

az resource list --query "[?contains(name,'`malicious_command`')]"

Attack vectors include:

  1. Command Injection: Malicious actors can chain system commands
  2. Privilege Escalation: Commands execute in the context of Azure CLI's permissions
  3. Persistence Mechanisms: Ability to create backdoors in cloud configurations

Affected Components

  • Azure CLI on Windows platforms
  • Automation scripts using vulnerable command patterns
  • CI/CD pipelines incorporating Azure CLI commands
  • Hybrid cloud management systems

Mitigation Strategies

Microsoft has released patches in Azure CLI version 2.50.0. Administrators should:

az upgrade --yes

Additional security measures:

  • Implement strict input validation for all Azure CLI scripts
  • Apply principle of least privilege to service principals
  • Enable Azure Defender for CLI monitoring
  • Audit all automation workflows using Azure CLI

Detection Methods

Signs of exploitation include:

  • Unusual command patterns in Azure Activity logs
  • Unexpected resource modifications
  • New service principals with elevated privileges
  • Unauthorized changes to Managed Identities

Long-Term Security Recommendations

  1. Network Segmentation: Isolate management workstations
  2. Logging Enhancements: Enable verbose CLI command logging
  3. Patch Management: Establish regular update cycles
  4. User Training: Educate staff on secure CLI practices

Microsoft has included additional safeguards in upcoming releases:

  • Stricter command sanitization
  • Enhanced permission prompts
  • Real-time injection detection

Enterprise Impact Analysis

Organizations should assess:

  • Exposure of sensitive cloud credentials
  • Potential compliance violations
  • Business continuity risks
  • Cost implications of potential resource hijacking

Timeline of Events

  • 2025-01-15: Vulnerability discovered
  • 2025-01-22: Microsoft Security Response Center notified
  • 2025-02-05: Patch released (v2.50.0)
  • 2025-02-10: CVE officially published

Additional Resources