CVE-2022-38123

Executive Summary

CVE-2022-38123 is an improper input validation vulnerability in the plugin file handling mechanism of Secomea GateManager's Administrator Interface. A server administrator with access to the administrative console can inject arbitrary code into the GateManager interface by supplying maliciously crafted plugin files, leading to full interface compromise and potential server-level code execution. All Secomea GateManager deployments running versions prior to 10.0 are affected, with the vulnerability carrying a CVSS score of 8.7 (High) and an EPSS score of 0.00747, indicating a moderate probability of exploitation in the wild. No public proof-of-concept, exploit code, or patch evidence is currently available from any tracked source, and the vulnerability has not been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Technical Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the plugin file validation logic of the Secomea GateManager Administrator Interface. The root cause is categorized as Improper Input Validation (CWE-20), specifically affecting how the application processes plugin files uploaded or otherwise introduced by server administrators.

The attack surface is the administrative web interface of GateManager, a centralized remote access management platform used for industrial and OT (Operational Technology) environments. GateManager typically serves as a gateway management server that handles device connections, user authentication, and remote access policies for distributed industrial networks. The Administrator Interface is a web-based console used by privileged operators to configure the platform, manage plugins, and administer access policies.

The vulnerability mechanism involves the insufficient validation of plugin files before they are processed by the application. When a server administrator provides a plugin file, the application fails to adequately verify its content, structure, or origin. This allows the plugin file to carry embedded code that is subsequently executed within the context of the GateManager interface. Because the validation is performed at the input stage rather than at execution time, the injected code is not properly neutralized, enabling it to be interpreted by the application's runtime environment.

The CNA title specifically references "Insuffrequent validation of plugin files," indicating that the missing checks involve plugin authenticity, content signatures, or structural verification. The lack of adequate validation permits a malicious plugin to contain executable payloads that are executed when the GateManager interface processes the file. This is a classic plugin-injection flaw, where the trust boundary between "plugin data" and "executable content" is not enforced.

Insufficient technical detail is available in the NVD description regarding the exact file formats, upload endpoints, or processing functions involved. The vulnerability class, however, is well understood: improper input validation of plugin files leading to code injection. The attack does not require authentication bypass — it requires an authenticated server administrator role. The CVSS vector reflects this requirement (PR:H — High Privileges Required), while the impact is rated as High for confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Exploitation Scenarios

No public PoC exists for this vulnerability; the following attack chain is inferred from the vulnerability class described in the NVD entry. The attack requires an attacker to have access to a server administrator account on the GateManager platform.

Step 1 — Reconnaissance and Target Identification: An attacker identifies Secomea GateManager instances via internet-wide scanning (e.g., Shodan queries for the GateManager web interface, TLS certificates identifying Secomea products, or HTTP banners). The attacker then enumerates administrative accounts via default credential testing, credential stuffing, or phishing campaigns targeting OT administrators. Alternatively, an insider or disgruntled employee with administrative access could directly initiate the attack.

Step 2 — Flaw Trigger: Once administrative access is obtained, the attacker navigates to the plugin management section of the Administrator Interface. The attacker prepares a malicious plugin file that embeds executable code within accepted plugin content — for example, code disguised as a configuration parameter, a callback function, or a template directive that is processed by the interface's runtime. The file is uploaded through the standard plugin installation workflow.

Step 3 — Payload Execution: Due to the missing input validation, the GateManager interface processes the plugin file without verifying that its content is inert. The embedded code is interpreted by the application, achieving code injection. The payload executes in the security context of the GateManager application process, which in a typical deployment runs with elevated privileges to manage network resources, modify access policies, and interact with connected devices.

Step 4 — Post-Exploitation Impact: With code execution within the GateManager interface, the attacker can:

• Modify or exfiltrate configuration data, including credentials for connected remote access devices.
• Alter access control policies to allow unauthorized remote connections to industrial assets.
• Inject further malicious plugins or persistent backdoors into the interface.
• Potentially pivot to the underlying operating system if the application process runs with sufficient privileges, compromising the entire GateManager server and, by extension, the managed industrial network.

Impact Assessment

CVSS Score: 8.7 (High) — The vector indicates a Network attack vector (AV:N) with Low attack complexity (AC:L), High privileges required (PR:H), No user interaction (UI:N), and Unchanged scope (U:S). The confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are all rated High (C:H/I:H/A:H).

Business Impact: Secomea GateManager is a critical component in OT/ICS environments, providing centralized remote access management. A successful exploit allows a compromised administrator account to inject code into the management interface, granting the attacker the ability to manipulate access policies, exfiltrate sensitive credentials, and disrupt remote access services. In industrial environments, this could enable unauthorized access to critical infrastructure devices, leading to operational disruption, safety incidents, or intellectual property theft.

Affected Systems: All Secomea GateManager deployments running versions prior to 10.0. The affected component is the Administrator Interface, which is exposed on the network to enable management operations. In many deployments, this interface is internet-facing to allow remote administration, significantly expanding the attack surface.

Blast Radius: The vulnerability is contained to a single GateManager instance per exploitation; however, the consequences propagate to all managed edge devices and remote access sessions. A compromised GateManager serves as a pivot point into the entire OT network, potentially affecting hundreds of industrial assets. The high integrity and availability impacts indicate that an attacker could cause significant operational disruption.

Detection Guidance

The following detection rules are designed to identify attempts to exploit CVE-2022-38123. Since the vulnerability involves plugin file uploads with insufficient validation, detection focuses on anomalous plugin file uploads to the GateManager Administrator Interface, unusually large or malformed plugin files, and post-exploitation behavior such as unauthorized code execution or configuration changes.

Sigma Rule

title: Secomea GateManager Plugin File Upload Attempt
id: 8f7a3c2e-9d14-4a5b-bc6e-2f1a8e4d9c3b
status: experimental
description: Detects attempts to upload plugin files to Secomea GateManager Administrator Interface, potentially exploiting CVE-2022-38123 (improper validation of plugin files leading to code injection).
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38123
author: Valters IT Security Research
date: 2025/01/20
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: gateManager
    service: https
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: POST
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '/plugin'
            - '/admin/plugin'
            - '/upload'
        http.response.content_type|contains: 'application/octet-stream'
        cs-referer|contains: '/admin/'
    filter:
        http.user_agent|contains:
            - 'Mozilla'
            - 'Chrome'
            - 'Safari'
    condition: selection and not filter
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate plugin installations by authorized administrators
level: medium

YARA Rule

rule Secomea_GateManager_Plugin_CodeInjection {
    meta:
        author = "Valters IT Security Research"
        description = "Detects plugin files crafted to exploit CVE-2022-38123 — improper input validation in Secomea GateManager plugin files leading to code injection."
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38123"
        date = "2025-01-20"
        score = 87
    strings:
        $plugin_marker = "GateManager" ascii wide
        $code_string = "eval" ascii wide nocase
        $code_string2 = "System.exec" ascii wide nocase
        $code_string3 = "Process.Start" ascii wide nocase
        $shell_string = "/bin/sh" ascii wide nocase
        $shell_string2 = "cmd.exe" ascii wide nocase
        $obfuscation1 = "base64" ascii wide nocase
        $obfuscation2 = "fromCharCode" ascii wide nocase
        $xml_marker = "<?xml" ascii wide
        $javascript_marker = "<script" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x4B50 or $plugin_marker and
        (
            2 of ($code_string*) or 2 of ($shell_string*) or
            ($obfuscation1 and 1 of ($code_string*)) or
            ($xml_marker and $javascript_marker)
        )
}

Suricata IDS Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"ET EXPLOIT Secomea GateManager Plugin File Upload - Code Injection Attempt (CVE-2022-38123)"; flow:established,to_server; content:"POST"; http_method; content:".php"; http_uri; content:"upload"; http_uri; content:"plugin"; http_uri; content:"Content-Type|3a 20|application/octet-stream"; http_header; content:"eval"; nocase; http_client_body; content:"System.exec"; nocase; http_client_body; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:2025381; rev:1; metadata:created_at 2025_01_20, updated_at 2025_01_20, cve CVE-2022-38123;)

Elastic Detection

sequence by source.ip with maxspan=30s
  [network where destination.port == 443 and network.protocol == "https" and
   http.request.method == "POST" and
   (http.request.uri.text contains "/plugin" or http.request.uri.text contains "/upload") and
   http.response.status_code >= 200 and http.response.status_code < 300]
  [network where destination.port == 443 and network.protocol == "https" and
   process.name != null and
   (process.command_line.text regex ".*(eval|exec|system|Process\.Start|cmd\.exe|/bin/sh).*" or
    process.command_line.text contains "GateManager")]

Splunk SPL Query

index=web sourcetype=access_combined_w3c
| search method=POST uri=*/plugin* OR uri=*/upload*
| where starthoursago>=24
| rex field=uri "^(?<endpoint>/[^?]+)"
| eval is_malicious = if(match(bytes, "(?i)(eval|System\.exec|Process\.Start|base64|/bin/sh|cmd\.exe)"), "true", "false")
| stats count by src_ip, endpoint, status, is_malicious
| where is_malicious == "true"
| table _time, src_ip, endpoint, status, count
| sort - count

Wazuh OSSEC Rule

<group name="secomea_gatemanager,">
    <rule id="100381" level="12" frequency="5" timeframe="300">
        <if_sid>100000</if_sid>
        <match>POST /plugin|POST /admin/plugin|POST /upload</match>
        <regex>Location: .*plugin</regex>
        <description>Possible Secomea GateManager plugin file upload attempt - CVE-2022-38123</description>
        <group>attack,exploitation,cve202238123,</group>
        <mitre>
            <id>T1190</id>
        </mitre>
        <options>no_full_log</options>
    </rule>
    <rule id="100382" level="15" frequency="3" timeframe="120">
        <if_sid>100381</if_sid>
        <match>200 OK|201 Created</match>
        <regex>Content-Type: application/octet-stream</regex>
        <description>Successful plugin upload to Secomea GateManager - potential CVE-2022-38123 code injection confirmed</description>
        <group>attack,exploitation,cve202238123,</group>
        <mitre>
            <id>T1190</id>
        </mitre>
        <options>no_full_log</options>
    </rule>
</group>

Mitigation & Patch Guidance

Patch Status: This vulnerability is currently UNPATCHED. Per available tracking data (patch confidence: 0/4), no patch evidence from any source has been identified. The affected product line, Secomea GateManager versions prior to 10.0, has no confirmed vendor fix available. Version 10.0 is referenced in the NVD description as a boundary but is not confirmed to be a patched release — there is no Advisory from Secomea confirming that 10.0 resolves this issue.

Immediate Mitigations:

1. Restrict Administrative Access: Limit access to the GateManager Administrator Interface to only trusted, approved administrator accounts. Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all administrative accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise.
2. Network Segmentation: Isolate the GateManager server from general corporate networks and the internet wherever possible. Restrict administrative access to a dedicated management VLAN or via a jump host/bastion.
3. Monitor Administrative Activity: Enable comprehensive audit logging for all administrative actions, particularly plugin installations and configuration changes. Alert on any unexpected plugin upload activity.
4. Review Existing Plugins: If plugins have been installed, audit the current plugin set for any unauthorized or suspicious entries. Remove any plugins that are not business-critical.
5. Apply Additional Input Validation: If proxy infrastructure is in place, consider adding web application firewall (WAF) rules to inspect plugin file uploads for signs of injectable content (e.g., eval strings, process execution commands).

Patch/Upgrade Steps:

1. Monitor Secomea's official advisory channels and security bulletins for patches or updated versions that address CVE-2022-38123.
2. Plan an upgrade path to GateManager version 10.0 or later when it is confirmed to contain a fix. Until then, no version-level remediation is available.
3. Contact Secomea support directly for guidance on interim protections or hotfix availability.

Long-Term Hardening:

1. Adopt a least-privilege access model for administrative roles. Limit server administrator accounts to the minimum required for job functions.
2. Implement robust credential management, including periodic rotation and banning of default or commonly used credentials.
3. Deploy centralized logging and SIEM integration for GateManager to enable timely detection of post-exploitation activity.
4. Maintain an inventory of plugin files and their associated hashes; verify plugin integrity against known-good values on a regular schedule.
5. Engage in continuous monitoring of threat intelligence feeds for any new developments regarding this CVE, including proof-of-concept releases or in-the-wild exploitation.

References

1. NVD Entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38123 — Official NVD record with vulnerability description and CVSS scoring.
2. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog — CVE-2022-38123 is NOT listed, confirming no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation has been reported to CISA as of the data date.
3. EPSS Data (FIRST.org): https://www.first.org/epss/ — EPSS score of 0.00747 (51.4th percentile), indicating moderate exploitation likelihood relative to other published CVEs.
4. Shodan Search: https://www.shodan.io/search?query=Secomea+GateManager — Enables identification of internet-exposed GateManager instances for exposure assessment.

No threat actor campaigns have been publicly attributed to this vulnerability as of the latest available information. The absence of known exploit code, public PoCs, and CISA KEV listing suggests limited or no in-the-wild exploitation; however, given the targeted nature of OT environments and the high privileges required, exploitation may occur in closed, niche adversary campaigns that have not been publicly disclosed.