CVE-2024-57231: Command Injection Vulnerability in NETGEAR RAX5 WiFi Router

Overview

The CVE-2024-57231 vulnerability is a severe security flaw discovered in the NETGEAR RAX5 (AX1600 WiFi Router) V1.0.2.26 software. This vulnerability allows malicious attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the host system, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage. This issue is particularly concerning due to the widespread use of the NETGEAR RAX5 WiFi router in both commercial and residential settings, meaning a large number of systems could potentially be at risk.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-57231
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise, potential data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

NETGEAR RAX5 (AX1600 WiFi Router) | V1.0.2.26

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability resides in the apcli_do_enr_pbc_wps function, which improperly sanitizes the ‘ifname’ parameter input. As a result, an attacker can inject malicious commands via this parameter, which the system executes at root-level privileges. This command injection vulnerability enables the attacker to gain unauthorized system access and potentially compromise the system or cause data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. In this hypothetical scenario, an HTTP request would be used to pass the malicious payload to the router.

POST /apcli_do_enr_pbc_wps HTTP/1.1
Host: target.router.ip
Content-Type: application/json
{ "ifname": "; rm -rf / " }

In this example, the ‘ifname’ parameter is exploited to execute the ‘rm -rf /’ command, a destructive Linux command that may delete all files in the system.

Recommendations for Mitigation

Users should apply the mitigation as soon as possible to protect against this vulnerability. NETGEAR has released a patch to resolve this issue, and all users are urged to apply this patch immediately. As a temporary mitigation, users can implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to block or detect attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, these measures are temporary and should not be used as a substitute for applying the official patch.