CVE-2017-11322 in Wireless Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
The chroothole_client executable in UCOPIA Wireless Appliance before 5.1.8 allows remote attackers to gain root privileges via a dollar sign ($) metacharacter in the argument to chroothole_client.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11322 affects the chroothole_client executable within UCOPIA Wireless Appliance versions prior to 5.1.8, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that enables remote attackers to achieve root-level system access. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and improper argument handling within the wireless appliance's client component, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges. The flaw specifically manifests when the chroothole_client executable processes command-line arguments containing dollar sign metacharacters, which are interpreted by the underlying shell environment as variable expansion operators.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages shell injection principles where the dollar sign character triggers unintended shell interpretation, allowing attackers to inject malicious commands that execute with root privileges. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability that aligns with CWE-78, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands. The vulnerability exists because the application fails to properly sanitize or escape input parameters before passing them to shell execution contexts, creating a direct path for command injection attacks. Attackers can craft malicious arguments containing dollar signs that, when processed by chroothole_client, result in arbitrary code execution with the highest system privileges.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to wireless infrastructure security as it enables remote attackers to completely compromise the affected appliance without requiring local access or prior authentication. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation to include potential data breaches, system takeover, and disruption of wireless services. Network attackers can exploit this vulnerability from external networks to gain full administrative control over the wireless appliance, potentially compromising the entire wireless network infrastructure. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers do not need physical access or network credentials to leverage this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise wireless deployments. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage, specifically shell scripting, as attackers can leverage the shell injection to execute arbitrary commands.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to UCOPIA Wireless Appliance version 5.1.8 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of wireless appliances to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect suspicious command execution patterns. Input validation mechanisms should be implemented to sanitize all user-supplied arguments before processing, and the principle of least privilege should be enforced by running the chroothole_client executable with minimal required permissions. Security audits should verify that no other similar vulnerabilities exist within the appliance's command processing components, and regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify potential shell injection flaws in other network applications. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper input sanitization and the dangers of shell command injection in network security appliances.