CVE-2020-11984
9.8 CRITICAL
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-11984 is a critical vulnerability in Apache HTTP Server's mod_proxy_uwsgi module that allows attackers to disclose sensitive information and potentially execute arbitrary code. It affects Apache versions 2.4.32 through 2.4.44 when mod_proxy_uwsgi is enabled. Attackers can exploit this by sending specially crafted requests to vulnerable servers.
💻 Affected Systems
Products:
- Apache HTTP Server
Versions: 2.4.32 to 2.4.44
Operating Systems: All operating systems running affected Apache versions
Default Config Vulnerable:
✅ No
Notes: Only vulnerable when mod_proxy_uwsgi module is enabled and configured. Default Apache installations typically do not have this module enabled.
📦 What is this software?
Communications Session Report Manager by Oracle
View all CVEs affecting Communications Session Report Manager →
Communications Session Route Manager by Oracle
View all CVEs affecting Communications Session Route Manager →
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Hyperion Infrastructure Technology by Oracle
View all CVEs affecting Hyperion Infrastructure Technology →
Leap by Opensuse
Leap by Opensuse
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of sensitive server data and memory contents, potentially leading to credential theft or further exploitation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, WAF protection, and minimal exposed services.
🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH
🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM
🎯 Exploit Status
Public PoC:
⚠️ Yes
Weaponized:
CONFIRMED
Unauthenticated Exploit:
⚠️ Yes
Complexity:
LOW
Public exploit code is available. Exploitation requires sending specially crafted HTTP requests to vulnerable endpoints.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apache HTTP Server 2.4.46 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://httpd.apache.org/security/vulnerabilities_24.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Upgrade Apache HTTP Server to version 2.4.46 or later. 2. Restart the Apache service. 3. Verify the patch is applied by checking the version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable mod_proxy_uwsgi
linuxDisable the vulnerable module if not required for functionality
a2dismod proxy_uwsgi
systemctl restart apache2
Restrict access to proxy endpoints
linuxUse firewall rules to restrict access to uWSGI proxy endpoints
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -m string --string "uwsgi" --algo bm -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block malicious uWSGI requests
- Isolate affected servers in a segmented network with strict access controls
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Apache version and mod_proxy_uwsgi status: httpd -v && httpd -M | grep proxy_uwsgiCheck Version:
httpd -vVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Apache version is 2.4.46 or later: httpd -v📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual HTTP requests containing uWSGI protocol manipulation
- Multiple failed requests to proxy endpoints
- Memory access errors in Apache logs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with malformed uWSGI headers
- Traffic patterns indicating attempted exploitation
SIEM Query:
source="apache_access.log" AND (uri="*uwsgi*" OR user_agent="*exploit*" OR status=500)🔗 References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00068.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00071.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/159009/Apache2-mod_proxy_uwsgi-Incorrect-Request-Handling.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/08/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/08/10
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/08/8
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/08/9
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/10/5
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/17/2
- https://httpd.apache.org/security/vulnerabilities_24.html
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r03ee478b3dda3e381fd6189366fa7af97c980d2f602846eef935277d%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r06f0d87ebb6d59ed8379633f36f72f5b1f79cadfda72ede0830b42cf%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r09bb998baee74a2c316446bd1a41ae7f8d7049d09d9ff991471e8775%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r2c6083f6a2027914a0f5b54e2a1f4fa98c03f8693b58460911818255%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r34753590ae8e3f2b6af689af4fe84269b592f5fda9f3244fd9abbce8%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3c5c3104813c1c5508b55564b66546933079250a46ce50eee90b2e36%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r5debe8f82728a00a4a68bc904dd6c35423bdfc8d601cfb4579f38bf1%40%3Cdev.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r623de9b2b2433a87f3f3a15900419fc9c00c77b26936dfea4060f672%40%3Cdev.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r76142b8c5119df2178be7c2dba88fde552eedeec37ea993dfce68d1d%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9f93cf6dde308d42a9c807784e8102600d0397f5f834890708bf6920%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc998b18880df98bafaade071346690c2bc1444adaa1a1ea464b93f0a%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf6449464fd8b7437704c55f88361b66f12d5b5f90bcce66af4be4ba9%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf71eb428714374a6f9ad68952e23611ec7807b029fd6a1b4f5f732d9%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/09/msg00001.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/A2RN46PRBJE7E7OPD4YZX5SVWV5QKGV5/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HYVYE2ZERFXDV6RMKK3I5SDSDQLPSEIQ/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202008-04
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200814-0005/
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4458-1/
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4757
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00068.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00071.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/159009/Apache2-mod_proxy_uwsgi-Incorrect-Request-Handling.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/08/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/08/10
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/08/8
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/08/9
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/10/5
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/08/17/2
- https://httpd.apache.org/security/vulnerabilities_24.html
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r03ee478b3dda3e381fd6189366fa7af97c980d2f602846eef935277d%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r06f0d87ebb6d59ed8379633f36f72f5b1f79cadfda72ede0830b42cf%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r09bb998baee74a2c316446bd1a41ae7f8d7049d09d9ff991471e8775%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r2c6083f6a2027914a0f5b54e2a1f4fa98c03f8693b58460911818255%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r34753590ae8e3f2b6af689af4fe84269b592f5fda9f3244fd9abbce8%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3c5c3104813c1c5508b55564b66546933079250a46ce50eee90b2e36%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r5debe8f82728a00a4a68bc904dd6c35423bdfc8d601cfb4579f38bf1%40%3Cdev.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r623de9b2b2433a87f3f3a15900419fc9c00c77b26936dfea4060f672%40%3Cdev.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r76142b8c5119df2178be7c2dba88fde552eedeec37ea993dfce68d1d%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9f93cf6dde308d42a9c807784e8102600d0397f5f834890708bf6920%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc998b18880df98bafaade071346690c2bc1444adaa1a1ea464b93f0a%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf6449464fd8b7437704c55f88361b66f12d5b5f90bcce66af4be4ba9%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf71eb428714374a6f9ad68952e23611ec7807b029fd6a1b4f5f732d9%40%3Ccvs.httpd.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/09/msg00001.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/A2RN46PRBJE7E7OPD4YZX5SVWV5QKGV5/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HYVYE2ZERFXDV6RMKK3I5SDSDQLPSEIQ/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202008-04
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200814-0005/
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4458-1/
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4757
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
