CVE-2019-11322 in CX2
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Motorola CX2 1.01 and M2 1.01. There is a command injection in the function startRmtAssist in hnap, which leads to remote code execution via shell metacharacters in a JSON value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-11322 represents a critical command injection flaw affecting Motorola CX2 1.01 and M2 1.01 devices within the hospitality and enterprise networking sector. This vulnerability resides in the HNAP (Home Network Application Protocol) implementation, specifically within the startRmtAssist function that handles remote assistance operations. The flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected devices through maliciously crafted JSON payloads containing shell metacharacters, fundamentally compromising the device's security posture and potentially enabling full system compromise.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the HNAP service implementation. When the startRmtAssist function processes incoming JSON data, it fails to properly escape or filter shell metacharacters that may be present in user-supplied values. This primitive injection vulnerability directly maps to CWE-77, which describes improper neutralization of special elements used in a command. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting JSON payloads that contain shell commands or metacharacters such as semicolons, ampersands, or backticks, which get interpreted by the underlying shell when the function processes the input. The vulnerability exists at the application layer where user-controllable input flows directly into system command execution contexts without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-11322 extends beyond simple remote code execution to encompass complete system compromise and potential lateral movement within network environments. Successful exploitation allows attackers to gain root-level access to affected Motorola devices, enabling them to modify device configurations, install persistent backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data, or use the compromised devices as launching points for further attacks. In hospitality environments where these devices are commonly deployed, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to guest networks, compromise of guest data, and potential disruption of hotel operations. The remote nature of the vulnerability means attackers can exploit it from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely on these devices for network infrastructure management.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-11322 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from Motorola to address the command injection vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to affected devices and deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious HNAP traffic patterns. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by restricting HNAP service access to trusted network segments only, while disabling unnecessary services and ports. Network administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious JSON payloads and monitor for shell metacharacter patterns in HNAP requests. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation), emphasizing the need for comprehensive network defense strategies that address both network-level and application-level threats.