CVE-2008-7319 – This vulnerability in Net::Ping::External Perl ... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in Net::Ping::External Perl extension allows shell command injection through improper sanitization of hostname arguments. Attackers can execute arbitrary commands on systems running vulnerable versions. Any Perl application using this extension with untrusted input is affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Net::Ping::External Perl module

Versions: All versions through 0.15

Operating Systems: All operating systems running Perl

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Vulnerability triggers when untrusted input is passed to ping() function without proper sanitization.

📦 What is this software?

Net Ping External by Net Ping External Project

View all CVEs affecting Net Ping External →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full system compromise with root privileges, data exfiltration, and persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote code execution with the privileges of the Perl process, potentially leading to data theft or system manipulation.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if input validation and proper privilege separation are implemented.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - If vulnerable application accepts external input for ping operations.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Risk exists if internal systems process untrusted input through this module.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Simple shell metacharacter injection via hostname parameter. Public patches demonstrate exploitation method.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Version 0.16 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://rt.cpan.org/Public/Bug/Display.html?id=33230

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Update Net::Ping::External via CPAN: 'cpan Net::Ping::External'
2. Or manually apply patch from provided references
3. Verify version is 0.16+

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Input Validation

all

Sanitize all hostname inputs before passing to Net::Ping::External functions

# Example Perl input validation
my $hostname = validate_input($user_input);
# Use regex to allow only valid hostname characters
$hostname =~ s/[^a-zA-Z0-9.-]//g;

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict input validation for all parameters passed to Net::Ping::External functions
Run Perl applications with minimal privileges and in restricted environments

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Net::Ping::External version: 'perl -MNet::Ping::External -e "print $Net::Ping::External::VERSION"'

Check Version:

perl -MNet::Ping::External -e "print $Net::Ping::External::VERSION"

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version is 0.16 or higher using same command

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual shell commands in process logs
Unexpected ping operations with special characters

Network Indicators:

Suspicious outbound connections from Perl processes
Unexpected ICMP traffic patterns

SIEM Query:

process.name:perl AND cmdline:*ping* AND cmdline:*[;&|`]*

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2008-7319

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-77

Published: November 7, 2017

Last Updated: April 20, 2025

🔗 References

http://matthias.sdfeu.org/devel/net-ping-external-cmd-injection.patch Issue Tracking,Patch,Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/07/4 Issue Tracking,Mailing List,Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.debian.org/881097 Issue Tracking,Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://rt.cpan.org/Public/Bug/Display.html?id=33230 Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory
http://matthias.sdfeu.org/devel/net-ping-external-cmd-injection.patch Issue Tracking,Patch,Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/07/4 Issue Tracking,Mailing List,Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.debian.org/881097 Issue Tracking,Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://rt.cpan.org/Public/Bug/Display.html?id=33230 Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory

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