CVE-2018-10057 in cgminer
Summary
by MITRE
The remote management interface of cgminer 4.10.0 and bfgminer 5.5.0 allows an authenticated remote attacker to write the miner configuration file to arbitrary locations on the server due to missing basedir restrictions (absolute directory traversal).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10057 affects cgminer version 4.10.0 and bfgminer version 5.5.0, specifically targeting their remote management interfaces. This security flaw represents a critical directory traversal issue that enables authenticated remote attackers to manipulate the miner configuration files stored on the server. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and lack of proper path restriction mechanisms within the remote management functionality. Attackers can exploit this weakness to write configuration files to arbitrary locations on the server filesystem, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system compromise.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the absence of proper basedir restrictions within the remote management interface implementation. When legitimate users attempt to modify miner configuration settings through the remote interface, the application fails to validate whether the specified file paths are within the intended directory boundaries. This missing validation allows attackers to specify absolute paths that traverse outside the designated configuration directory, enabling them to write files to sensitive system locations such as /etc, /tmp, or other critical directories. The vulnerability operates under the weakness category of CWE-22 - Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, which is classified as a path traversal attack vector that permits unauthorized file system access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration file manipulation, as it provides attackers with potential paths to escalate privileges and compromise the entire mining operation. An authenticated attacker can leverage this weakness to overwrite critical system files, inject malicious code into the mining process, or establish persistent backdoors on the affected system. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access to the mining hardware, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in distributed mining environments where remote management interfaces are commonly used for maintenance and monitoring purposes. The attack vector aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1078 - Valid Accounts categories, as it requires legitimate authentication credentials but enables unauthorized system modifications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-10057 should focus on implementing proper input validation and path restriction mechanisms within the remote management interfaces. System administrators should immediately update to patched versions of cgminer and bfgminer where available, as the vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases through proper directory traversal controls. Additional protective measures include restricting network access to the remote management interfaces through firewall rules, implementing network segmentation to isolate mining equipment, and ensuring that only authorized users have access to the management interfaces. The implementation of proper access controls and the principle of least privilege should be enforced, limiting the capabilities of authenticated users within the remote management context. Organizations should also conduct regular security audits of their mining infrastructure to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other components of their distributed mining systems.