CVE-2020-10789
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands on openITCOCKPIT monitoring systems through the web-based terminal. Attackers can inject shell metacharacters into the su command line to bypass restrictions and run commands with elevated privileges. All openITCOCKPIT installations before version 3.7.3 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- openITCOCKPIT
📦 What is this software?
Openitcockpit by It Novum
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges, potentially leading to data theft, system destruction, or lateral movement across the network.
Likely Case
Unauthorized command execution leading to privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or installation of backdoors on the monitoring system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, least privilege access, and input validation are implemented, though the vulnerability still exists.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability is in the SudoMessageInterface.php file where shell metacharacters are not properly sanitized before being passed to the su command. Exploitation requires access to the web interface but no authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.7.3
Vendor Advisory: https://openitcockpit.io/2020/2020/03/23/openitcockpit-3-7-3-released/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your current openITCOCKPIT installation and database. 2. Download openITCOCKPIT version 3.7.3 or later from the official repository. 3. Follow the upgrade instructions provided in the documentation. 4. Restart the web server and openITCOCKPIT services. 5. Verify the update was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable web-based terminal
linuxTemporarily disable the vulnerable web-based terminal feature to prevent exploitation while planning for patching.
# Edit openITCOCKPIT configuration to disable terminal feature
# Modify app/Config/core.php or relevant configuration files
# Set terminal access to false or restrict to trusted IPs
Network access restrictions
linuxRestrict access to the openITCOCKPIT web interface using firewall rules or web server configuration.
# Example iptables rule to restrict access
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s TRUSTED_IP -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s TRUSTED_IP -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate openITCOCKPIT systems from critical infrastructure
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to block shell metacharacters and command injection attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the openITCOCKPIT version by accessing the web interface and navigating to System -> About, or check the version file in the installation directory.Check Version:
grep -r 'APP_VERSION' /path/to/openitcockpit/app/Config/constants.php || cat /path/to/openitcockpit/VERSIONVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the version is 3.7.3 or later and check that the commit 73b5b34afa8bd82ff26c0097558341214c768cfc is present in the codebase.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual command execution patterns in system logs
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by terminal access
- Suspicious su command executions with shell metacharacters
Network Indicators:
- Unusual HTTP POST requests to terminal endpoints with shell metacharacters
- Traffic patterns indicating command injection attempts
SIEM Query:
source="openitcockpit.log" AND ("su command" OR "terminal" OR "shell") AND (metacharacter OR "$" OR "|" OR ";" OR "&" OR "`")🔗 References
- https://github.com/it-novum/openITCOCKPIT/commit/73b5b34afa8bd82ff26c0097558341214c768cfc
- https://openitcockpit.io/2020/2020/03/23/openitcockpit-3-7-3-released/
- https://github.com/it-novum/openITCOCKPIT/commit/73b5b34afa8bd82ff26c0097558341214c768cfc
- https://openitcockpit.io/2020/2020/03/23/openitcockpit-3-7-3-released/
