CVE-2024-57229: Critical Command Injection Vulnerability in NETGEAR RAX5 WiFi Router

Overview

A newly discovered vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-57229, has been publicly disclosed, posing a significant risk to users of the NETGEAR RAX5 AX1600 WiFi Router. This critical vulnerability can potentially allow malicious actors to compromise the system or leak sensitive data. Given the broad usage of NETGEAR devices, this vulnerability may affect a substantial number of users worldwide, and it is of utmost importance to address it promptly and efficiently.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-57229
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

NETGEAR RAX5 (AX1600 WiFi Router) | V1.0.2.26

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability exists due to a command injection flaw in the ‘reset_wifi’ function of the NETGEAR RAX5 router. More specifically, it lies in the ‘devname’ parameter, which does not properly sanitize input and can execute arbitrary shell commands. An attacker can exploit this flaw by sending a specially crafted request containing malicious commands, leading to complete system compromise if successfully executed.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This sample HTTP request illustrates how an attacker could inject arbitrary shell commands:

POST /reset_wifi HTTP/1.1
Host: netgearrouter.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
devname=;rm -rf /*;

In this example, the malicious payload sent in the ‘devname’ parameter is `;rm -rf /*;`, a destructive shell command that would delete all files in the system if executed.

Mitigation and Prevention

The immediate recommended mitigation for this vulnerability is to apply the patch released by NETGEAR. Users of the affected router should update their firmware to the latest version as soon as possible. As an interim measure, users can apply a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, it is crucial to note that these are temporary measures and cannot replace the need for applying the security patch.