CVE-2023-44385 in Home Assistant
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
The Home Assistant Companion for iOS and macOS app up to version 2023.4 are vulnerable to Client-Side Request Forgery. Attackers may send malicious links/QRs to victims that, when visited, will make the victim to call arbitrary services in their Home Assistant installation. Combined with this security advisory, may result in full compromise and remote code execution (RCE). Version 2023.7 addresses this issue and all users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability. This issue is also tracked as GitHub Security Lab (GHSL) Vulnerability Report: GHSL-2023-161.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-44385 affects the Home Assistant Companion applications for iOS and macOS, specifically versions up to 2023.4, presenting a critical client-side request forgery flaw that enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands on targeted systems. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input within the application's handling of external links and QR codes, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can craft deceptive payloads that, when interacted with by victims, trigger unauthorized communication with the Home Assistant installation. The flaw operates by exploiting the application's trust in external resources without proper sanitization or verification mechanisms, allowing attackers to manipulate the application's behavior through crafted requests that bypass normal security controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to construct malicious links or QR codes that, when scanned or clicked by a victim using the vulnerable application, will initiate communication with services within the victim's local Home Assistant network. This occurs because the application fails to properly validate or sanitize the URLs or data contained within these external resources, enabling an attacker to specify arbitrary endpoints that the application will attempt to contact. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's ability to distinguish between legitimate and malicious external resources, creating a path for attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the application and the Home Assistant installation. This flaw is categorized under CWE-918, which addresses server-side request forgery and client-side request forgery, demonstrating how improper validation of external inputs can lead to unauthorized access to internal network resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exfiltration or service disruption, as it creates a pathway for full system compromise and remote code execution within the victim's Home Assistant environment. When attackers successfully exploit this vulnerability, they can potentially gain complete control over the Home Assistant installation, allowing them to manipulate connected devices, access sensitive configuration data, and execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system. The combination of this vulnerability with other security issues in the Home Assistant ecosystem can lead to significant compromise of home automation networks, potentially enabling attackers to control smart home devices, access personal data, and establish persistent access points within the victim's network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects not just individual users but represents a substantial risk to the broader home automation security landscape, as compromised Home Assistant installations can serve as entry points for further attacks within connected networks.
Mitigation efforts for CVE-2023-44385 require immediate action from affected users, with the release of version 2023.7 addressing the core issue through enhanced input validation and improved resource sanitization mechanisms. Organizations and individuals utilizing Home Assistant Companion applications must upgrade to the patched version as soon as possible, as no effective workarounds exist for this particular vulnerability. The fix implemented in version 2023.7 involves strengthening the application's validation procedures for external links and QR codes, ensuring that all input is properly sanitized before any network communication is initiated. Security practitioners should also implement network-level monitoring to detect unusual communication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while users should exercise extreme caution when interacting with unknown links or QR codes, particularly those received through untrusted channels. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in mobile applications and highlights how seemingly minor security oversights can create significant attack vectors for sophisticated adversaries. The issue is tracked by GitHub Security Lab under report GHSL-2023-161, indicating the severity and widespread impact of the vulnerability across the Home Assistant ecosystem and the broader IoT security community.