CVE-2018-16741 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A vulnerability was found in mgetty versions prior to 1.2.1, allowing command injection through insufficient sanitization of shell metacharacters.

Understanding CVE-2018-16741

What is CVE-2018-16741?

This CVE identifies a flaw in mgetty that could be exploited to manipulate commands using specific characters in a generated file.

The Impact of CVE-2018-16741

The vulnerability could lead to unauthorized command execution, potentially compromising the system's integrity and confidentiality.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-16741

Vulnerability Description

The function do_activate() in fax/faxq-helper.c lacks proper sanitization, enabling the injection of commands using characters like ||, &&, or >.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: mgetty
Vendor: N/A
Versions affected: All versions prior to 1.2.1

Exploitation Mechanism

By crafting a file through the "faxq-helper activate <jobid>" command, attackers can insert malicious commands using specific shell metacharacters.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update mgetty to version 1.2.1 or later to patch the vulnerability.
Restrict access to vulnerable services and files.
Monitor system logs for any suspicious activities.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement regular security audits and code reviews.
Educate users on safe computing practices and the risks of command injection.

Patching and Updates

Apply security updates promptly and consistently to address known vulnerabilities.