Overview
In the evolving age of digital transactions, the security of Point of Sale (POS) devices has become a paramount concern. This blog post delves deep into a recently discovered vulnerability, CVE-2023-42136, that affects PAX Android based POS devices. This vulnerability, if exploited, can allow the execution of arbitrary commands with system account privilege by shell injection, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage. It’s imperative to understand the gravity of this security issue as it poses a serious threat to businesses worldwide using these devices, potentially impacting their financial transactions and customer data.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-42136
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
Escape the Surveillance Era
Most apps won’t tell you the truth.
They’re part of the problem.
Phone numbers. Emails. Profiles. Logs.
It’s all fuel for surveillance.
Ameeba Chat gives you a way out.
- • No phone number
- • No email
- • No personal info
- • Anonymous aliases
- • End-to-end encrypted
Chat without a trace.
Product | Affected Versions
PAX Android POS device | PayDroid_8.1.0_Sagittarius_V11.1.50_20230614 or earlier
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability arises due to an improper sanitization of input in the shell command functions used within the system. An attacker, having gained shell access to the device, can execute arbitrary commands with system account privilege by initiating a shell injection starting with a specific keyword. This allows the attacker to manipulate the system, potentially compromising data or manipulating the POS device’s functionality.
Conceptual Example Code
The following pseudocode illustrates how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability:
# Attacker gains shell access to the device
$ ssh user@target_device
# Attacker uses the specific keyword to initiate shell injection
$ specific_keyword; arbitrary_commandIn the above example, the “specific_keyword” represents the word that triggers the vulnerability, and “arbitrary_command” represents any command that the attacker wishes to execute with system-level privileges.
Recommended Mitigation
To protect against this vulnerability, the device vendor has released a patch that should be applied immediately. In the interim, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. Remember, these are only temporary solutions and cannot replace the need for a vendor-supplied patch. Regularly updating and patching systems is a crucial part of maintaining cybersecurity.