FBI, CISA warn of AndroxGh0st botnet for victim identification and exploitation
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2017-9841 | Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in PHPUnit eval-stdin.php PHPUnit ships a utility script (eval-stdin.php under /vendor/phpunit/phpunit/src/Util/PHP/) that reads HTTP POST data and evaluates it as PHP code with no authentication. The flaw is triggered when a site's /vendor folder is web-accessible and an attacker sends a POST request whose body begins with '<?php ' directly to that URI. Doing so lets the attacker execute arbitrary PHP code on the server under the web server account, giving unauthenticated remote code execution (CWE-94 code injection). Anyone running a PHP application installed with Composer, where PHPUnit is present in the vendor tree and that directory is reachable over HTTP, is affected. The flaw is under active exploitation: CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-02-15 and its EPSS probability of exploitation is 100% (top percentile). Do: Apply the CISA KEV required action by updating PHPUnit per vendor instructions, which in practice means updating the CMS/framework or running a Composer update that pulls a patched PHPUnit release. Until patched, block web access to the /vendor directory (e.g., deny /vendor/ or at least /vendor/phpunit/phpunit/src/Util/PHP/eval-stdin.php in your web server configuration) and verify the endpoint is no longer reachable. Check access logs for POST requests to eval-stdin.php and investigate affected servers for webshells or other signs of compromise. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV |
| masshundreds of thousands of PHP sites/servers potentially exposed (order-of-magnitude estimate; unknown precise count) | |
| CVE-2018-15133 | Deserialization RCE in Laravel Framework via X-XSRF-TOKEN Header CVE-2018-15133 is a PHP deserialization flaw (CWE-502) in Laravel Framework versions through 5.5.40 and 5.6.x through 5.6.29: the decrypt method in Illuminate/Encryption/Encrypter.php passes the decrypted X-XSRF-TOKEN header value to unserialize, enabling PHP object injection via the PendingBroadcast gadget chain. A remote attacker triggers it by sending a crafted X-XSRF-TOKEN header, but only if they know the application's APP_KEY, which typically happens because the key was leaked (e.g., committed to public GitHub repositories) or reused across deployments. Successful exploitation yields remote code execution on the web server with high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability; in current campaigns the AndroxGh0st malware exploits this flaw to steal AWS, Azure, and Office 365 credentials and now also distributes Mozi botnet payloads. Any Laravel 5.5.x or 5.6.x application within the affected ranges is exposed, with practical risk concentrated on apps whose APP_KEY has been exposed or shared. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added the flaw to the KEV catalog on 2024-01-16, EPSS puts the 30-day exploitation probability at about 77%, and public scanning has already identified 600+ Laravel apps with leaked APP_KEYs on GitHub. Do: Upgrade Laravel Framework to a release later than 5.6.29 (latest patched 5.6.x or a supported major version) per vendor guidance; CISA's KEV required action is to apply vendor mitigations or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Because exploitation requires knowing the APP_KEY, audit and rotate the key, remove it from public repositories and exposed .env files, and hunt for AndroxGh0st activity (suspicious processes, outbound credential theft) on Laravel hosts. | 8.1 | 77% | KEV PoC |
| large≈10,000–100,000 internet-facing Laravel deployments plausibly affected (600+ apps already confirmed with leaked APP_KEYs on GitHub alone) | |
| CVE-2021-41773 | Path Traversal to RCE in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.49 Apache HTTP Server contains a path traversal flaw (CWE-22) that lets crafted HTTP requests reach files outside directories configured via Alias-like directives. When files outside those aliased directories are not protected by the default 'require all denied' policy, attackers can read arbitrary files outside the intended root, and if CGI scripts are enabled the traversal can be escalated to remote code execution under the web server account. Anyone running an affected Apache HTTP Server release with such a configuration is exposed; the initial 2.4.50 patch was incomplete, so the flaw's full remediation is tracked under CVE-2021-42013. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added the vulnerability to the KEV catalog on 2021-11-03 with known ransomware use, and EPSS assigns a ~100% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile). Do: Upgrade to Apache HTTP Server 2.4.51 or later; do not stop at 2.4.50, since its fix was incomplete (see CVE-2021-42013). As an interim mitigation, ensure directories referenced by Alias-like directives are covered by 'require all denied' and disable or restrict CGI (mod_cgi/mod_cgid) on traversable paths. Review access logs for traversal patterns such as /icons/../ and unexpected CGI invocations, and hunt for webshells or ransomware staging given the known ransomware use. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC ×6 |
| masson the order of 100,000+ internet-exposed Apache servers |
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U.S. CISA and the FBI warned of AndroxGh0st malware used to create a botnet for victim identification and exploitation in target networks.
US CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to warn of AndroxGh0st malware. The malware is spreading to create a botnet for victim identification and exploitation in target networks.
The US agencies are sharing known indicators of compromise (IOCs) and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) associated with threat actors deploying the Androxgh0st malware.
“Androxgh0st malware establishes a botnet for victim identification and exploitation in vulnerable networks, and targets files that contain confidential information, such as credentials, for various high profile applications.” reads the advisory. “Threat actors deploying Androxgh0st malware have been observed exploiting specific vulnerabilities which could lead to remote code execution”
The Python-based malware AndroxGh0st was first spotted in December 2022 by the cybersecurity firm Lacework.
“AndroxGh0st is a “SMTP cracker” which is primarily intended to scan for and parse Laravel application secrets from exposed .env files. Note: Laravel is an open source PHP framework and the Laravel .env file is often targeted for its various configuration data including AWS, SendGrid and Twilio.” reported Lacework.
The malware supports multiple features, including scanning, exploitation of exposed credentials and APIs, and even deployment of webshells. The malware allows operators to scan for and parse AWS keys, but it has also the ability to generate keys for brute-force attacks.
According to the joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA), threat actors behind the Androxgh0st malware exploit the following vulnerabilities to achieve remote code execution on target systems:
- CVE-2017-9841 (PHP Unit Command)
- CVE-2021-41773 (Apache HTTP Server versions), and
- CVE-2018-15133 (Laravel applications).
Known Indicators of Compromise Associated with this malware are available here.
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