CVE-2025-4032
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a critical OS command injection vulnerability in inclusionAI AWorld's shell_tool.py file, specifically in the subprocess.run/subprocess.Popen functions. Attackers can execute arbitrary commands on affected systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects all versions up to commit 8c257626e648d98d793dd9a1a950c2af4dd84c4e.
💻 Affected Systems
- inclusionAI AWorld
📦 What is this software?
Aworld by Inclusionai
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands, steal sensitive data, install malware, or pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Limited command execution within the application's context, potentially leading to data exfiltration or service disruption.
If Mitigated
No impact if proper input validation and command sanitization are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used, but exploitation is known to be difficult with high complexity.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown - product does not use versioning
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/inclusionAI/AWorld/issues/38
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Review the GitHub issue #38 for technical details. 2. Manually inspect and patch the shell_tool.py file. 3. Implement proper input validation and command sanitization for subprocess calls.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement strict input validation and sanitize all user inputs before passing to subprocess functions.
Disable Shell Execution
allModify subprocess calls to use shell=False and pass commands as lists rather than strings.
# Change: subprocess.run(command, shell=True)
# To: subprocess.run(command.split(), shell=False)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable systems
- Deploy application firewalls to monitor and block suspicious command execution patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if your AWorld installation includes the vulnerable commit 8c257626e648d98d793dd9a1a950c2af4dd84c4e or earlier by examining the shell_tool.py file for unsafe subprocess usage.Check Version:
git log --oneline | head -20 # Check commit history since product doesn't use versioningVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that subprocess.run/subprocess.Popen calls in shell_tool.py properly validate and sanitize inputs, and use shell=False where possible.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual subprocess executions
- Suspicious command-line arguments in application logs
- Multiple failed command execution attempts
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from AWorld processes
- Command and control traffic patterns
SIEM Query:
source="aworld.logs" AND (process="subprocess" OR process="Popen") AND command="*;*" OR command="*|*" OR command="*&*" OR command="*`*"