CVE-2022-44877: 
Control Web Panel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2022-44877 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability affecting Control Web Panel (CWP, formerly known as CentOS Web Panel) 7 versions prior to 0.9.8.1147. The vulnerability was discovered by security researcher Numan Türle and was assigned a CVSS score of 9.8. The flaw exists in the login/index.php component, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via shell metacharacters in the login parameter (Rapid7 Blog, Wiz Blog).

The vulnerability arises from a condition where bash commands can be executed when double quotes are used to log incorrect entries into the system. The flaw specifically exists in the login/index.php file, where attackers can inject shell metacharacters through the login parameter. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute commands remotely on a machine running a vulnerable version of CWP, with the same privilege level as CWP, which in many cases is root by default (Wiz Blog, Full Disclosure).

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands without authentication. Given that CWP often runs with root privileges, attackers can potentially gain complete control over the affected system. According to Shadowserver's dashboard, tens of thousands of CWP instances were exposed on the internet, making this a significant security risk (Rapid7 Blog).

The primary mitigation is to upgrade Control Web Panel to version 0.9.8.1147 or later. The vulnerability was fixed in an October 2022 release of CWP. Organizations running CWP should immediately update their installations to the patched version to prevent exploitation (Rapid7 Blog).

The security community responded quickly to the vulnerability, with multiple security firms and researchers publishing analyses and warnings. Shadowserver reported exploitation in the wild on January 6, 2023, and security researchers observed attack attempts originating from multiple countries including the Netherlands, the United States, and Thailand (Wiz Blog).