CVE-2024-38366 in CocoaPods
Summary
by MITRE • 07/02/2024
trunk.cocoapods.org is the authentication server for the CoacoaPods dependency manager. The part of trunk which verifies whether a user has a real email address on signup used a rfc-822 library which executes a shell command to validate the email domain MX records validity. It works via an DNS MX. This lookup could be manipulated to also execute a command on the trunk server, effectively giving root access to the server and the infrastructure. This issue was patched server-side with commit 001cc3a430e75a16307f5fd6cdff1363ad2f40f3 in September 2023. This RCE triggered a full user-session reset, as an attacker could have used this method to write to any Podspec in trunk.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-38366 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within the authentication infrastructure of CocoaPods, a widely used dependency management system for iOS and macOS development. The affected component resides at trunk.cocoapods.org, serving as the central authentication server that validates user identities and manages package publishing permissions. This system employs a validation mechanism that leverages RFC-822 email format libraries to verify user email addresses during registration processes. The implementation of this verification procedure creates a dangerous attack surface where legitimate email domain validation functionality becomes a vector for arbitrary command execution.
The technical flaw stems from improper input sanitization within the email address validation routine that utilizes DNS MX record lookups to confirm domain legitimacy. When processing user-submitted email addresses, the system executes shell commands to perform DNS queries against the email domain's MX records. This design pattern violates fundamental security principles by directly incorporating user-controllable input into shell command execution contexts without adequate sanitization or parameterization. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker crafts a malicious email address that includes shell command injection sequences, causing the underlying RFC-822 library to execute unintended operating system commands on the server hosting the authentication service.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it grants attackers complete administrative control over the affected server infrastructure. With root access obtained through this remote code execution flaw, adversaries could manipulate the entire CocoaPods ecosystem by modifying any Podspec file stored in the trunk repository. This capability represents a severe compromise of the dependency management system's integrity, enabling attackers to inject malicious code into thousands of applications that depend on affected packages. The vulnerability's exploitation would trigger a comprehensive user session reset across the platform, as the attacker could leverage the elevated privileges to modify package metadata and potentially compromise the trust model of the entire CocoaPods distribution network.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-78 and CWE-94, categorizing it as a command injection flaw and a code execution vulnerability respectively, while also demonstrating characteristics of CWE-20 and CWE-22 that involve improper input validation and path traversal attacks. The attack pattern follows techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation. The security implications are particularly severe given CocoaPods' widespread adoption in mobile application development, where the potential for supply chain attacks and malicious code injection is extremely high. The fix implemented in September 2023 through commit 001cc3a430e75a16307f5fd6cdff1363ad2f40f3 demonstrates the critical nature of the vulnerability by requiring a complete rearchitecture of the email validation process to prevent shell command injection while maintaining the legitimate domain verification functionality. The remediation approach likely involved replacing the vulnerable RFC-822 library with a safer email parsing implementation that performs DNS lookups without executing shell commands, thereby eliminating the attack vector while preserving the system's core authentication capabilities.