CVE-2022-20655 - Critical Command Injection Vulnerability in ConfD CLI

CVE-2022-20655 is a critical vulnerability in the implementation of the Command Line Interface (CLI) of devices running the ConfD management agent. This vulnerability can be exploited by an authenticated, local attacker to perform a command injection attack, potentially granting the attacker full control over the affected device with root privilege.

Description

The CVE-2022-20655 vulnerability is caused by insufficient validation of a process argument on devices running ConfD. Specifically, the CLI of the affected device does not properly sanitize user input, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary commands during the execution of a process.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first authenticate to the device and access the CLI. Once access is obtained, the attacker can inject malicious commands in a process argument on the CLI. If successfully executed, the attacker can perform actions on the underlying operating system with the privilege level of ConfD, which is commonly root.

For example, consider the following code snippet, where the attacker injects a command to create a new file named "hacked.txt" while using the CLI:

$ confd_cli -u <username> -C "process_argument; touch hacked.txt"

This command would execute the injected touch hacked.txt command, potentially creating a new file called "hacked.txt" on the device.

Mitigation

To mitigate this vulnerability, device administrators must apply software patches and updates provided by the vendor. Additionally, implementing strict access controls and limiting the number of users with access to the CLI can help to reduce the risk of exploitation.

References

- Original Advisory: Link to original advisory source
- Vendor Patch: Link to vendor patch
- NIST Vulnerability Database: Link to NIST vulnerability database entry

Conclusion

CVE-2022-20655 highlights the importance of diligently validating user input in any software implementation, particularly in mission-critical systems like network devices running ConfD. Ensuring timely patching and proper access control management can help alleviate the potential damage caused by this vulnerability. Stay informed about updates and patches to protect your systems from similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Timeline

Published on: 11/15/2024 16:15:20 UTC