⚡ THN Weekly Recap: Top Cybersecurity Threats, Tools and Tips

CVE-2020-12271 is a SQL injection flaw (CWE-89) in the Sophos firewall operating system (SFOS) firmware that runs Sophos's firewall appliances. It is triggered when the appliance's administration (HTTPS) service or its User Portal is exposed on the WAN (internet-facing) zone, which lets remote attackers inject SQL through those services and achieve code execution on the device. Successful exploitation gives attackers remote code execution that can be used to exfiltrate usernames and hashed passwords for local device administrators, portal administrators, and user accounts used for remote access; passwords stored in external Active Directory or LDAP directories are not exposed. Affected organizations are those running Sophos SFOS with the HTTPS admin interface or User Portal reachable from the internet; the source data does not specify affected version ranges, so defenders should consult Sophos's advisories for affected and fixed releases. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added the flaw to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03 with known ransomware use, EPSS estimates a 42.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (99th percentile), and no public proof-of-concept is known.

Do: Immediately update SFOS to a current patched release per Sophos's upgrade instructions, which is CISA's required action for federal agencies. As an interim mitigation, remove the HTTPS administration service and User Portal from the WAN zone or restrict access to trusted source addresses. Because ransomware actors are known to exploit this flaw, review firewall logs for signs of intrusion and rotate local device-admin, portal-admin, and remote-access user credentials, as only those hashes could have been exfiltrated (external AD/LDAP passwords were not at risk).

CVE-2023-46604 is a critical deserialization flaw (CWE-502) in the Java OpenWire protocol marshaller of Apache ActiveMQ that permits unauthenticated remote code execution (CVSS 9.8). An attacker with network access to either a Java-based OpenWire broker or client can manipulate serialized class types in the OpenWire protocol, causing the peer to instantiate arbitrary classes on the classpath and execute arbitrary shell commands. Successful exploitation yields full command execution on the target broker or client, with no authentication or user interaction required. Affected parties include anyone running ActiveMQ broker or Java client versions prior to 5.15.16, 5.16.7, 5.17.6, or 5.18.3, as well as NetApp E-Series products and Debian packages that ship affected ActiveMQ/OpenWire components. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA's KEV on 2023-11-02 with known ransomware use (RansomHub), and has been used to drop Kinsing malware, Godzilla web shells, and the DripDropper implant, in some cases with attackers patching the flaw post-exploitation to lock out competing intruders.

Do: Upgrade all ActiveMQ brokers and Java OpenWire clients to 5.15.16, 5.16.7, 5.17.6, or 5.18.3 (or later), and apply the relevant NetApp E-Series and Debian updates for bundled components; restrict the OpenWire port (default TCP 61616) from untrusted networks. Hunt for indicators of the documented campaigns (Godzilla web shells, Kinsing malware, DripDropper, RansomHub) and verify the broker's current version, since attackers have been observed patching the flaw post-exploitation to hide from defenders. The CISA KEV listing means federal agencies must apply vendor mitigations or discontinue use of the product.

The WPForms plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'wpforms_is_admin_page' function in versions starting from 1.8.4 up to, and including, 1.9.2.1. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to refund payments and cancel subscriptions.

An authentication bypass in the admin web console of Ivanti CSA before 5.0.3 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to gain administrative access

The Hunk Companion plugin for WordPress (versions before 1.9.0) fails to properly authorize several REST API endpoints, allowing unauthenticated attackers to send crafted requests that install and activate arbitrary plugins from the WordPress.org repository. Because attackers can select plugins that are old, closed, or known to be vulnerable, the flaw can be chained into full site compromise by first staging a vulnerable plugin and then exploiting it. Any WordPress site running a Hunk Companion version prior to 1.9.0 is affected, with no privileges or user interaction required on the attacker's part (CVSS 9.8). The vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild: Wordfence reported blocking millions of attack attempts targeting Hunk Companion and the related GutenKit flaws, and it carries a high EPSS score of 54.5%.

Do: Update Hunk Companion to version 1.9.0 or later immediately. After patching, audit the plugin list for unexpectedly installed or activated plugins — especially old, closed, or known-vulnerable ones added without administrator action — and review access logs for unauthenticated requests to the REST endpoints; if updating is not yet possible, restrict unauthenticated access to the plugin's REST routes via a firewall or WAF rule.

Starting in Python 3.12.0, the asyncio._SelectorSocketTransport.writelines() method would not "pause" writing and signal to the Protocol to drain the buffer to the wire once the write buffer reached the "high-water mark". Because of this, Protocols would not periodically drain the write buffer potentially leading to memory exhaustion. This vulnerability likely impacts a small number of users, you must be using Python 3.12.0 or later, on macOS or Linux, using the asyncio module with protocols, and using .writelines() method which had new zero-copy-on-write behavior in Python 3.12.0 and later. If not all of these factors are true then your usage of Python is unaffected.

An OS command injection vulnerability exists in the web interface configuration upload functionality of MC Technologies MC LR Router 2.10.5. A specially crafted HTTP request can lead to arbitrary command execution. An attacker can make an authenticated HTTP request to trigger this vulnerability.

An OS command injection vulnerability exists in the name parameter of GoCast 1.1.3. A specially crafted HTTP request can lead to arbitrary command execution. An attacker can make an unauthenticated HTTP request to trigger this vulnerability.

The SolarWinds Access Rights Manager was found to be susceptible to an Arbitrary File Deletion and Information Disclosure vulnerability.

Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability in WofficeIO Woffice woffice.This issue affects Woffice: from n/a through <= 5.4.10.

Missing Authorization vulnerability in SeventhQueen Sweet Date sweetdate allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects Sweet Date: from n/a through <= 3.7.3.

Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability in WofficeIO Woffice woffice allows Authentication Bypass.This issue affects Woffice: from n/a through <= 5.4.14.

This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia 15. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

Adobe Document Service allows an attacker with administrator privileges to send a crafted request from a vulnerable web application. It is usually used to target internal systems behind firewalls that are normally inaccessible to an attacker from the external network, resulting in a Server-Side Request Forgery vulnerability. On successful exploitation, the attacker can read or modify any file and/or make the entire system unavailable.

Microsoft's Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver contains a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) that a local attacker can trigger by submitting crafted input to the CLFS component after gaining the ability to run code on the target machine. Successful exploitation overwrites heap memory in the kernel driver and allows the attacker to escalate privileges, typically from an ordinary user account to SYSTEM-level execution. Any Microsoft Windows system is potentially affected; the CISA listing identifies only "Microsoft Windows" and does not enumerate specific versions or builds, and no CVSS score has been published yet. The flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2024-12-10, confirming it is being exploited in the wild (ransomware use is unknown), and EPSS assigns a 25.4% probability of exploitation activity within 30 days (98th percentile). No public proof-of-concept is known, but the in-the-wild exploitation means defenders should treat this as an actively used privilege-escalation primitive, often chained after initial access by malware or another exploit.

Do: Apply Microsoft's security update for Windows per vendor instructions, as required by the CISA KEV listing (added 2024-12-10), and verify patch compliance across Windows endpoints. Because this is a local privilege escalation, prioritize hosts where untrusted users or malware execute code, and review telemetry for local code execution followed by unexpected escalation to SYSTEM. No public PoC exists, so detection should rely on vendor advisory guidance and EDR telemetry rather than public exploit signatures.

CVE-2024-50623 is an unrestricted file upload and download flaw (CWE-434) in Cleo's managed file transfer products — Harmony, VLTrader, and LexiCom — before version 5.8.0.21. It is reachable over the network with no authentication or user interaction (CVSS 9.8, AV:N/AC:L/PR:N), letting an attacker send crafted requests that upload arbitrary files to the server. The unrestricted upload leads to remote code execution, giving the attacker full control of the host for staging, data theft, or ransomware, while the download capability risks exposure of business files the server moves with trading partners. Any organization running these products is affected, and managed file transfer servers are typically internet-facing and handle sensitive B2B data. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added it to the KEV catalog on 2024-12-13 with ransomware use noted, EPSS assigns a 98.6% probability of exploitation within 30 days, and the Clop ransomware gang has claimed dozens of breaches (some disputed), including a confirmed breach at WK Kellogg.

Do: Upgrade Harmony, VLTrader, and LexiCom to 5.8.0.21 or later per vendor instructions; if upgrading is not possible, apply vendor mitigations or discontinue use of the product, as CISA's KEV entry requires. Prioritize internet-exposed instances, hunt for indicators of compromise (unexpected file writes and execution on the transfer host, new accounts, suspicious outbound connections), and restrict the service to trusted partner networks. Given known ransomware use by Clop, any suspected compromise should trigger checks for lateral movement and staged exfiltration of transferred files.

CrushFTP 10 before 10.8.3 and 11 before 11.2.3 mishandles password reset, leading to account takeover.

Apache Struts contains a flaw in its legacy file upload logic (CWE-434) that allows an attacker to manipulate file upload parameters to traverse paths outside the intended upload directory. It is triggered when an application relies on the old upload mechanism built around FileuploadInterceptor; applications using the new file upload mechanism are not affected. By uploading a malicious file to a location where it can be executed, an attacker can, under some circumstances, achieve remote code execution on the server. All Apache Struts versions from 2.0.0 up to but not including 6.4.0 are affected, though only deployments still using the legacy upload interceptor. There is no public PoC or CISA KEV entry yet, but EPSS is exceptionally high (78.2%, 100th percentile) and news reports indicate threat actors are already attempting to exploit the flaw in the wild.

Do: Upgrade Apache Struts to version 6.4.0 or later and migrate applications to the new file upload mechanism. If upgrading is not immediately possible, verify whether your application uses the legacy FileuploadInterceptor; if it does not, the application is safe. Review upload parameter handling and monitor the official S2-067 advisory for mitigation details, as active exploitation attempts have been reported.

Adobe Connect versions 12.6, 11.4.7 and earlier are affected by a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability that could be abused by an attacker to inject malicious scripts into vulnerable form fields. Malicious JavaScript may be executed in a victim’s browser when they browse to the page containing the vulnerable field. A successful attacker can abuse this to achieve session takeover, increasing the confidentiality and integrity impact as high.

openwrt/asu is an image on demand server for OpenWrt based distributions. The request hashing mechanism truncates SHA-256 hashes to only 12 characters. This significantly reduces entropy, making it feasible for an attacker to generate collisions. By exploiting this, a previously built malicious image can be served in place of a legitimate one, allowing the attacker to "poison" the artifact cache and deliver compromised images to unsuspecting users. This can be combined with other attacks, such as a command injection in Imagebuilder that allows malicious users to inject arbitrary commands into the build process, resulting in the production of malicious firmware images signed with the legitimate build key. This has been patched with 920c8a1.

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in appsplate Appsplate appsplate allows SQL Injection.This issue affects Appsplate: from n/a through <= 2.1.3.

In the Mullvad VPN client 2024.6 (Desktop), 2024.8 (iOS), and 2024.8-beta1 (Android), the exception-handling alternate stack can be exhausted, leading to heap-based out-of-bounds writes in enable() in exception_logging/unix.rs, aka MLLVD-CR-24-01. NOTE: achieving code execution is considered non-trivial.