CVE-2024-28808

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-28808 exposes a hidden functionality vulnerability in the Infinera hiT 7300 network management system, version 5.60.50. A remote authenticated attacker can access reserved, undocumented web applications to retrieve sensitive operational data. This issue stems from improper access control on hidden web endpoints, classified under CWE-912 (Hidden Functionality). The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 0.0 (unscored) and an EPSS probability of 0.0%, indicating low active exploitation but high potential impact due to the sensitive nature of the exposed data. No public exploit code or patch is currently available.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It affects a proprietary embedded system (Infinera hiT 7300) and does not involve open-source package supply chain risks.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 0.0 (Unscored)
• Vector: UNKNOWN
• Attack Vector (AV): Network (assumed)
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (assumed)
• Privileges Required (PR): Low (authenticated user)
• User Interaction (UI): None
• Scope (S): Unchanged
• Confidentiality (C): High (reserved information)
• Integrity (I): None
• Availability (A): None
• Threat Level: Medium (due to authenticated access requirement but high data sensitivity)

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The Infinera hiT 7300 web interface includes undocumented endpoints that are not listed in the standard navigation or help menus. These endpoints serve reserved internal functions, such as diagnostic tools, configuration backups, or debug interfaces. An authenticated attacker can discover these endpoints through directory brute-forcing, web crawling, or by analyzing JavaScript files and API documentation.

The root cause is the lack of proper access control on these hidden endpoints. The web server does not enforce authorization checks beyond basic authentication, allowing any authenticated user to access any endpoint, including those intended for administrative or maintenance use. This violates the principle of least privilege.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker gains valid credentials (e.g., via phishing, default passwords, or brute-force).
2. Attacker enumerates hidden endpoints using tools like gobuster or dirb with a wordlist of common hidden paths (e.g., /debug, /admin, /api/internal).
3. Attacker accesses the discovered endpoints to retrieve sensitive data (e.g., network topology, device configurations, or cryptographic keys).

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

No patch is currently available. The vulnerable code resides in the web server configuration and application routing logic. A patched version would implement role-based access control (RBAC) on all endpoints, ensuring that only authorized users (e.g., administrators) can access hidden functionality.

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual):

# app.py (vulnerable)
@app.route('/hidden/diagnostics')
def diagnostics():
    # No authorization check
    return json.dumps(get_sensitive_data())

Patched Code (Conceptual):

# app.py (patched)
from flask_login import login_required, current_user

@app.route('/hidden/diagnostics')
@login_required
@admin_required  # Custom decorator
def diagnostics():
    if not current_user.is_admin:
        abort(403)
    return json.dumps(get_sensitive_data())

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• Valid credentials for the Infinera hiT 7300 web interface.
• Network access to the management interface (typically port 80/443).

Steps:

1. Enumerate hidden endpoints:

   gobuster dir -u http://<target_ip> -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt -x html,php,asp -t 50
   

2. Access discovered endpoints:

   curl -u username:password http://<target_ip>/hidden/diagnostics
   

3. Extract sensitive data:

   curl -u username:password http://<target_ip>/hidden/config_backup -o config.bin
   

Expected Output: Sensitive configuration data, network topology, or cryptographic material.

Blue Team (Detection & Response)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual HTTP requests to hidden paths (e.g., /hidden/*, /debug/*, /internal/*).
• Alert on multiple 404/403 responses followed by a 200 response to a hidden path.
• Correlate with authentication logs for the same user.

Response:

1. Isolate the affected device from the network.
2. Revoke all active sessions and force password reset.
3. Review access logs for data exfiltration.
4. Apply vendor patch when available.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP requests to paths containing /hidden/, /debug/, /internal/, /admin/ (unusual for normal operation).
  • Outbound data transfers from the device to external IPs (e.g., via FTP, SCP, or HTTP POST).
• Host IOCs:
  • Unauthorized configuration changes in the device's web server logs.
  • Presence of new user accounts or elevated privileges.
• File IOCs:
  • Unexpected configuration backup files (e.g., config.bin, backup.tar.gz) on the device or in network traffic.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_28808_Hidden_Functionality {
    meta:
        description = "Detects access to hidden endpoints on Infinera hiT 7300"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-28808"
    strings:
        $hidden_path = "/hidden/" nocase
        $debug_path = "/debug/" nocase
        $internal_path = "/internal/" nocase
        $admin_path = "/admin/" nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-28808 Hidden Endpoint Access
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests to hidden endpoints on Infinera hiT 7300
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-stem|contains:
            - '/hidden/'
            - '/debug/'
            - '/internal/'
            - '/admin/'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate administrative access (should be rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-28808 Hidden Endpoint Access"; flow:to_server; content:"/hidden/"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)
alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-28808 Debug Endpoint Access"; flow:to_server; content:"/debug/"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000002; rev:1;)
alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-28808 Internal Endpoint Access"; flow:to_server; content:"/internal/"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000003; rev:1;)
alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-28808 Admin Endpoint Access"; flow:to_server; content:"/admin/"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000004; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Restrict network access: Place the Infinera hiT 7300 management interface behind a firewall or VPN, allowing only trusted IPs.
2. Enforce strong authentication: Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) if supported, or enforce complex passwords and regular rotation.
3. Monitor logs: Enable detailed logging of all HTTP requests and review for suspicious patterns.
4. Disable unused services: If possible, disable the web interface or restrict it to read-only mode.

Long-Term Fix:

• Apply vendor patch when released.
• Implement role-based access control (RBAC) on all web endpoints.
• Conduct a security audit of the web application to identify and remove hidden functionality.

Workaround:

• Use a reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx) to block access to hidden paths:

  location ~* /(hidden|debug|internal|admin)/ {
      deny all;
      return 403;
  }
  

Valters IT