# CVE-2024-51743: Arbitrary File Write leading up to remote code execution (instructor accounts)

> Authenticated instructors can write arbitrary files to the server, potentially leading to remote code execution in the MarkUs grading application.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Nov 2024
- **Updated:** 19 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hwgg-qvjx-572x

## What is CVE-2024-51743?

CVE-2024-51743 is a high-severity vulnerability in MarkUsProject Markus, published on 18 Nov 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

MarkUs is a web application for the submission and grading of student assignments. In versions prior to 2.4.8, an arbitrary file write vulnerability in the update/upload/create file methods in Controllers allows authenticated instructors to write arbitrary files to any location on the web server MarkUs is running on (depending on the permissions of the underlying filesystem). e.g. This can lead to a delayed remote code execution in case an attacker is able to write a Ruby file into the config/initializers/ subfolder of the Ruby on Rails application. MarkUs v2.4.8 has addressed this issue. No known workarounds are available at the application level aside from upgrading.

Weakness: CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-51743?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Markusproject Markus.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-51743?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-51743 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-51743 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-51743 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in MarkUsProject Markus

- [CVE-2026-25057](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25057/): Zip Slip in MarkUs config upload allowing RCE (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2026-28405](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-28405/): MarkUs: Stored XSS in Submission HTML Preview Enables Instructor-Context Actions (high 8.0)
- [CVE-2024-51499](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51499/): MarkUs Arbitrary File Write leading up to remote code execution (student accounts) (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2026-25962](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25962/): MarkUs: Zip bomb in config upload enables DoS (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2026-24900](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24900/): MarkUs has a submission-view IDOR exposes all student submissions (medium 6.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-51743 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-51743 is a high-severity vulnerability in MarkUsProject Markus, published on 18 Nov 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-51743 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: MarkUsProject Markus. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51743/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51743/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-51743
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-51743
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-51743

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51743/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.