CVE-2020-37153 in ASTPP
Summary
by MITRE • 02/11/2026
ASTPP 4.0.1 contains multiple vulnerabilities including cross-site scripting and command injection in SIP device configuration and plugin management interfaces. Attackers can exploit these flaws to inject system commands, hijack administrator sessions, and potentially execute arbitrary code with root permissions through cron task manipulation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2026
The CVE-2020-37153 vulnerability affects ASTPP version 4.0.1, a popular open-source telephony billing and management platform that serves as a central hub for VoIP operations. This vulnerability encompasses multiple security flaws that collectively create a severe attack surface within the application's SIP device configuration and plugin management interfaces. The presence of both cross-site scripting and command injection vulnerabilities within the same application module indicates a fundamental lack of input validation and sanitization controls that are essential for maintaining application security boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user inputs within the SIP device configuration and plugin management components. When administrators or users interact with these interfaces, the application fails to properly validate or escape data entered into form fields, creating opportunities for malicious actors to inject malicious payloads. The cross-site scripting component allows attackers to execute arbitrary javascript code within the context of the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking and credential theft. The command injection vulnerability represents a more severe flaw, as it enables attackers to inject system commands directly into the underlying operating system through the application's processing of user-supplied data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft or session manipulation. Attackers who successfully exploit these flaws can gain elevated privileges through manipulation of cron tasks, potentially achieving root-level access to the underlying server. This privilege escalation capability transforms what might initially appear as a web application vulnerability into a critical system compromise that could result in complete server takeover. The combination of these vulnerabilities creates a multi-stage attack vector where an attacker could first establish a foothold through XSS, then escalate privileges through command injection, and finally maintain persistent access through cron job manipulation. This type of vulnerability directly maps to attack patterns described in the mitre att&ck framework under the privilege escalation and persistence domains.
The security implications of CVE-2020-37153 align with common weaknesses catalogued in the cwe database, particularly CWE-79 for cross-site scripting and CWE-78 for command injection. These vulnerabilities represent classic examples of input validation failures that have been consistently identified as critical threats in web application security assessments. Organizations running ASTPP 4.0.1 are particularly vulnerable because the affected interfaces are commonly used by system administrators who likely possess elevated privileges, making the potential impact of exploitation significantly more severe than in typical web applications. The vulnerability's presence in both SIP device configuration and plugin management interfaces suggests that attackers could potentially compromise the entire telephony infrastructure, including voice communication channels and billing systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-37153 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected ASTPP version to address the underlying input validation and sanitization issues. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation controls at multiple layers, including client-side javascript validation and server-side sanitization of all user-supplied data. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit administrative access to the affected interfaces, while monitoring should be enabled to detect unusual cron job modifications or suspicious administrative activities. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the telephony infrastructure, and automated patch management systems should be deployed to ensure timely updates to all application components. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of principle of least privilege implementations where administrative functions are separated and access is strictly controlled through role-based access controls.