CVE-2014-0156
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2014-0156 is an OS command injection vulnerability in the Awesome Spawn Ruby gem that allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands by passing malicious arguments. This affects any application using vulnerable versions of Awesome Spawn that processes untrusted input in command arguments. The vulnerability enables remote code execution with the privileges of the application.
💻 Affected Systems
- Awesome Spawn Ruby gem
📦 What is this software?
Awesomespawn by Manageiq
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise allowing attacker to execute arbitrary commands with application privileges, potentially leading to data theft, system takeover, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to application compromise, data exfiltration, or deployment of malware/backdoors.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if input validation and proper escaping are implemented, restricting command execution to intended functionality.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation is straightforward when untrusted input reaches vulnerable command arguments. Public proof-of-concept code exists demonstrating the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.4.1 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://rubysec.com/advisories/CVE-2014-0156/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Gemfile to specify 'awesome_spawn', '>= 1.4.1'. 2. Run 'bundle update awesome_spawn'. 3. Restart the Ruby application. 4. Verify the update with 'bundle show awesome_spawn'.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement strict input validation and sanitization for all user-provided data before passing to Awesome Spawn commands.
Restrict Command Arguments
allAvoid passing user-controlled input directly to command arguments. Use allowlists for acceptable values.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all data passed to Awesome Spawn commands
- Isolate the vulnerable application in a restricted network segment with minimal privileges
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Gemfile.lock or run 'bundle show awesome_spawn' to see if version is below 1.4.1Check Version:
bundle show awesome_spawnVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm awesome_spawn version is 1.4.1 or higher with 'bundle show awesome_spawn'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual command execution patterns in application logs
- Commands with unexpected arguments or shell metacharacters
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from the application server
- Suspicious process execution patterns
SIEM Query:
source="application.log" AND ("awesome_spawn" OR "system(" OR "exec(") AND ("|" OR ";" OR "&" OR "$")