CVE-2018-16232 in IPFire
Summary
by MITRE
An authenticated command injection vulnerability exists in IPFire Firewall before 2.21 Core Update 124 in backup.cgi. This allows an authenticated user with privileges for the affected page to execute arbitrary commands.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/04/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-16232 represents a critical command injection flaw within the IPFire firewall software ecosystem. This security weakness specifically affects versions prior to 2.21 Core Update 124 and resides within the backup.cgi script component of the firewall's web interface. The vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration framework as CWE-77, which categorizes it as a command injection vulnerability where untrusted data is incorporated into system commands without proper sanitization or validation. The flaw enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the target system through malicious input manipulation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the backup.cgi script where user-supplied parameters are directly incorporated into system commands without adequate input validation or sanitization measures. When an authenticated user accesses the affected page, they can manipulate input fields that are subsequently processed by the system shell, allowing for arbitrary command execution. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.001, which describes execution through command and script interpreters, specifically targeting the command shell as a vector for privilege escalation and system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized command execution, as it provides attackers with full system access capabilities. An authenticated attacker with privileges for the affected page can leverage this vulnerability to escalate their privileges, access sensitive system information, modify firewall configurations, and potentially establish persistent access to the network infrastructure. The affected system becomes vulnerable to complete compromise, as the attacker can execute any command available to the system user context, potentially leading to data exfiltration, network reconnaissance, or further lateral movement within the network environment. This vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise and organizational networks that rely on IPFire as their primary firewall solution, creating a significant risk for organizations with limited network segmentation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-16232 primarily involve immediate patching of the IPFire firewall to version 2.21 Core Update 124 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to address the command injection vulnerability. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the number of users with privileges to access the affected backup.cgi functionality. Additional defensive measures include implementing web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious input patterns, conducting regular security audits of web applications, and establishing proper input validation and sanitization protocols. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect critical network infrastructure components from authenticated command injection attacks that could lead to complete system compromise.