Network Security Trends: Recent Exploits Observed in the Wild Include Remote Code Execution, Cross

Netgear RAX43 version 1.0.3.96 contains a buffer overrun vulnerability. The URL parsing functionality in the cgi-bin endpoint of the router containers a buffer overrun issue that can redirection control flow of the applicaiton.

An OS command injection vulnerability exists in the Web Manager Wireless Network Scanner functionality of Lantronix PremierWave 2050 8.9.0.0R4. A specially-crafted HTTP request can lead to command execution. An attacker can make an authenticated HTTP request to trigger this vulnerability.

The Perfect Survey WordPress plugin before 1.5.2 does not validate and escape the question_id GET parameter before using it in a SQL statement in the get_question AJAX action, allowing unauthenticated users to perform SQL injection.

For Eclipse Jetty versions <= 9.4.40, <= 10.0.2, <= 11.0.2, it is possible for requests to the ConcatServlet with a doubly encoded path to access protected resources within the WEB-INF directory. For example a request to `/concat?/%2557EB-INF/web.xml` can retrieve the web.xml file. This can reveal sensitive information regarding the implementation of a web application.

A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been reported and confirmed for BeyondTrust Secure Remote Access Base Software version 6.0.1 and older, which allows the injection of unauthenticated, specially-crafted web requests without proper sanitization.

Grafana contains an authentication bypass (CWE-287) in its handling of dashboard snapshot data, allowing both authenticated and unauthenticated users to access snapshot endpoints without proper authorization. An attacker can trigger the flaw by sending crafted requests to the snapshot API without valid credentials. Successful exploitation lets the attacker view and delete all snapshot data, potentially resulting in complete loss of saved snapshots, which may destroy evidence of historical dashboard state. Any organization running an affected Grafana release from Grafana Labs is exposed, particularly instances reachable by untrusted users. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA KEV on 2022-08-25 and carries a 99.9% EPSS probability of exploitation within 30 days.

Do: Apply updates per vendor instructions: upgrade Grafana to a patched release per the Grafana Labs advisory for CVE-2021-39226 and prioritize patching internet-facing instances given KEV listing. As an interim mitigation, restrict unauthenticated access to the snapshot API (e.g., via reverse-proxy access rules) and verify whether snapshots have been viewed or deleted on your instances.

TP-Link Tapo C200 IP camera, on its 1.1.15 firmware version and below, is affected by an unauthenticated RCE vulnerability, present in the uhttpd binary running by default as root. The exploitation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to take full control of the camera.

The downloadFlile.cgi binary file in TOTOLINK EX200 V4.0.3c.7646_B20201211 has a command injection vulnerability when receiving GET parameters. The parameter name can be constructed for unauthenticated command execution.

Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Web Container). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.1.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle WebLogic Server accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.5 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system written in PHP and paired with a MariaDB database. Low-privileged authenticated users (like author) in WordPress core are able to execute JavaScript/perform stored XSS attack, which can affect high-privileged users. This has been patched in WordPress version 5.8.3. Older affected versions are also fixed via security release, that go back till 3.7.37. We strongly recommend that you keep auto-updates enabled. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

CVE-2022-22536 (CWE-444) is an HTTP request smuggling and request concatenation flaw in the Internet Communication Manager components of SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP and Java, ABAP Platform, SAP Content Server 7.53 and SAP Web Dispatcher. An unauthenticated remote attacker sends crafted HTTP requests whose framing is interpreted inconsistently by intermediary and back-end components, allowing arbitrary attacker-controlled data to be prepended to a victim's request. This lets the attacker execute functions impersonating the victim or poison intermediary web caches, and a successful attack could result in complete compromise of the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the system (CVSS 10.0). Any organization running the affected SAP components is exposed, especially internet-facing SAP systems and those fronted by reverse proxies or caches where front-end/back-end parsing differs. The flaw is being actively exploited: CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog on 2022-08-18 and EPSS assigns a 97.9% probability of exploitation within 30 days, although no public PoC is known and ransomware use is unconfirmed.

Do: Apply SAP's security updates per vendor instructions for CVE-2022-22536 (SAP Note 3123396), prioritizing internet-facing Web Dispatcher, ICM/NetWeaver and Content Server 7.53 systems as required by the CISA KEV listing. Until patched, restrict direct HTTP access to affected SAP components, review front-end proxies/caches for HTTP framing mismatches, and monitor for anomalous request concatenation or impersonation. Ransomware linkage is unknown, so treat this as general web-application exploitation risk.

CVE-2022-22947 is a code injection (Spring Expression Language injection) flaw in VMware Spring Cloud Gateway that allows arbitrary remote code execution when the Gateway Actuator endpoint is enabled, exposed, and unsecured. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can send a maliciously crafted request (typically a crafted POST to the gateway actuator routes endpoint) that is evaluated as code, letting the attacker run arbitrary commands on the host. The CVSS 3.1 score is 10.0 (critical) because exploitation is network-based, requires no privileges or user interaction, and impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability beyond the vulnerable component. All Spring Cloud Gateway deployments prior to 3.1.1/3.0.7 are affected, along with Oracle products that embed the component, including Commerce Guided Search and multiple Oracle Communications Cloud Native Core functions. Exploitation is confirmed: the flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-05-16, EPSS puts the 30-day exploitation probability at 98.3% (100th percentile), public PoC exploits exist, and related reporting describes botnets adding Spring Cloud Gateway exploits to their attack tooling.

Do: Upgrade Spring Cloud Gateway to 3.1.1 or later, or to 3.0.7 or later on the 3.0.x line, per VMware's advisory, and apply the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update for affected Oracle Commerce Guided Search and Communications Cloud Native Core products. If you cannot patch immediately, disable or restrict the Gateway Actuator endpoint so it is not reachable over the network without authentication. Scan for exposed gateway actuator endpoints and review hosts for signs of command execution; this flaw is on CISA's KEV list, which requires applying updates per vendor instructions.

CVE-2022-22954 is a server-side template injection vulnerability (CWE-94) in VMware Workspace ONE Access and VMware Identity Manager that allows remote code execution on affected appliances. It is triggered when attacker-controlled input is passed into a server-side template engine, allowing injected template directives to be evaluated and executed as code on the server. A successful attacker gains the ability to run arbitrary code on the identity appliance, and CISA notes the flaw has been used in ransomware campaigns, so compromise can serve as an initial foothold for broader enterprise intrusion. Any organization running Workspace ONE Access or Identity Manager, including deployments where the Identity Manager component is bundled into VMware Horizon environments, is potentially affected, though the source data does not specify affected version ranges. The vulnerability was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-04-14 with ransomware use confirmed and a required action to apply vendor updates, and EPSS currently assigns it a 100% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile); no public PoC is known.

Do: Apply the patches published in VMware advisory VMSA-2022-0011 (April 2022) to Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager appliances as required by the CISA KEV listing, prioritizing internet-facing instances, and restrict or remove public exposure until patched. Review appliance and web-server logs for template-injection probes and unexpected processes spawned by the identity service, and investigate any indications of compromise for follow-on ransomware or lateral-movement activity.

VMware Tanzu's Spring Cloud Function contains a remote code execution flaw (CWE-94, expression-language code injection) in its routing functionality. When the routing feature evaluates an attacker-supplied Spring Expression Language (SpEL) routing-expression, a specially crafted expression is processed by the framework, resulting in arbitrary code execution on the server and access to local resources. Any deployment of Spring Cloud Function that evaluates untrusted routing-expressions, typically via exposed application endpoints, is affected. An attacker who can reach such an endpoint gains code execution in the context of the running application, which can lead to data theft, lateral movement, or ransomware. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-08-25 and EPSS rates the 30-day exploitation probability at 99.9% (100th percentile), although no public PoC is cataloged in this data.

Do: Apply the vendor update per VMware/Tanzu instructions immediately, as patching is the required action for this KEV-listed vulnerability. Until patched, prevent untrusted clients from supplying the routing-expression (restrict or disable the routing functionality) and limit network exposure of affected services. Review application logs for unexpected SpEL payloads in routing-expressions and check affected hosts for indicators of compromise, including ransomware staging.

CVE-2022-22965 ('Spring4Shell') is a critical (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution flaw in VMware's Spring Framework, caused by insecure data binding that lets unauthenticated attackers overwrite internal class and module properties through crafted request parameters (CWE-94, code injection). It affects Spring MVC and Spring WebFlux applications running on JDK 9 or later; the demonstrated exploit path requires a Tomcat WAR deployment, while applications packaged as Spring Boot executable jars are not exploitable that way, though the underlying issue may be reachable via other routes. A successful attack yields full remote code execution with the privileges of the application server, with no authentication or user interaction required. VMware Spring Framework 5.3.0-5.3.17 and 5.2.0-5.2.19 (plus older releases) are affected, and the flaw also impacts bundled products from Cisco, Oracle, Siemens and Veritas, including multiple Oracle Communications Cloud Native Core components. It is being actively exploited in the wild: added to CISA's KEV on 2022-04-04, EPSS puts 30-day exploitation probability at 99.6% (100th percentile), a public PoC is available, and mass scanning of vulnerable servers has been observed.

Do: Upgrade Spring Framework to 5.3.18, 5.2.20 or later (or apply vendor-supplied fixes for bundled products, e.g., via Oracle's patch release and Cisco's advisory), prioritizing internet-facing Tomcat WAR deployments on JDK 9+; this is a CISA KEV entry, so treat patching as urgent. If patching must wait, mitigate by running on JDK 8, deploying as a Spring Boot executable jar rather than a WAR on Tomcat, and applying the vendor-documented workaround that disallows 'class.*', 'Class.*' and 'module.*' fields in data binding. Inventory exposed Tomcat/Spring services and hunt for signs of exploitation given confirmed in-the-wild use.

CVE-2022-24112 is a client IP validation flaw (CWE-290) in the batch-requests plugin of Apache APISIX: the plugin is supposed to override the client IP with the real remote IP, but due to a coding bug this check can be bypassed, allowing an attacker to send requests that evade the IP restrictions protecting the Admin API. A remote, unauthenticated attacker sends crafted requests through the batch-requests endpoint to reach the otherwise IP-restricted Admin API or data panel. With a default APISIX configuration (default admin API key), this grants access that leads directly to remote code execution; if the admin key was changed or the Admin API runs on a different port, the attacker still gains unauthorized access to the data panel. Any deployment of Apache APISIX is affected, with default or minimally-hardened configurations facing the highest risk. The vulnerability is under active exploitation: it was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-08-25, carries a 96% EPSS probability of exploitation within 30 days, and public proof-of-concept exploits are available.

Do: Upgrade Apache APISIX to the latest patched release per vendor instructions, prioritizing internet-facing instances since active exploitation is confirmed. As immediate mitigation, change the default admin API key, restrict access to the Admin API and data panel, and avoid exposing the Admin API port alongside the data panel. Check logs for anomalous requests to the batch-requests endpoint and Admin API routes indicating exploitation attempts.

A SQL injection vulnerability in Voipmonitor GUI before v24.96 allows attackers to escalate privileges to the Administrator level.

TP-LINK TL-WR840N(ES)_V6.20_180709 was discovered to contain a command injection vulnerability via the component oal_startPing.

TOTOLink A3000RU V5.9c.2280_B20180512 was discovered to contain a command injection vulnerability in the "Main" function. This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands via the QUERY_STRING parameter.

A command injection vulnerability in the function setUpgradeFW of TOTOLINK Technology router T6 V3_Firmware T6_V3_V4.1.5cu.748_B20211015 allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted MQTT packet.

A CSRF issue in /api/crontab on iRZ Mobile Routers through 2022-03-16 allows a threat actor to create a crontab entry in the router administration panel. The cronjob will consequently execute the entry on the threat actor's defined interval, leading to remote code execution, allowing the threat actor to gain filesystem access. In addition, if the router's default credentials aren't rotated or a threat actor discovers valid credentials, remote code execution can be achieved without user interaction.

CVE-2022-29464 is an unrestricted file upload flaw (CISA classifies it as CWE-22, path traversal) in multiple WSO2 products — including WSO2 API Manager, Identity Server (and its Analytics and as-Key-Manager variants), and Enterprise Integrator — that lets an attacker write arbitrary files, such as JSP webshells, to any location on the server. It is triggered by sending crafted multipart upload requests to the WSO2 Carbon management-console file-upload endpoints, where directory traversal in the upload path allows files to be planted in the web root; requesting the uploaded file then executes it as code. An attacker who can reach a vulnerable management console gains unauthenticated remote code execution with the privileges of the WSO2 server process, which is often root in containerized deployments, enabling webshells, lateral movement, and ransomware staging. Any organization running affected WSO2 releases is exposed, especially where Identity Server (SSO/IAM) or API Manager gateways are internet-facing; the exact affected version ranges are enumerated in the WSO2 vendor advisory. Exploitation is confirmed: CISA added the flaw to the KEV catalog on 2022-04-25 with known ransomware use, and EPSS assigns a roughly 100% probability of exploitation within 30 days, making patching urgent.

Do: Apply the WSO2 updates/patches listed in the WSO2 security advisory for CVE-2022-29464 (or upgrade to the fixed releases named there), per CISA's required action, and limit internet exposure of Carbon management consoles in the meantime. Because ransomware groups have exploited this flaw, hunt for compromise: check web roots for unexpected JSP files or webshells and review access logs for suspicious file-upload requests followed by GETs to uploaded files.