Network security

Security Advisory

RCE Risk in D-Link Routers due to Hardcoded Telnet Credentials

Summary A significant security flaw (CVE-2025-46176) has exposed thousands of D-Link routers to remote code execution attacks through hardcoded Telnet credentials embedded in firmware. This is affecting its DIR-605L and DIR-816L routers.

If successful exploitation happens this will enables attackers to modify router configurations, deploy malware, or pivot into internal networks.

OEMD-link
SeverityMedium
CVSS Score6.5
CVEsCVE-2025-46176
Actively ExploitedNo
Exploited in WildNo
Advisory Version1.0

Overview

The flaw exposes devices to remote command execution (RCE) through hardcoded Telnet credentials.

The vulnerability has been rated medium in severity (CVSS 6.5), with no official firmware patch available as of May 2025.

Vulnerability NameCVE IDProduct AffectedSeverityFixed Version
​Hardcoded Telnet Credentials vulnerability  CVE-2025-46176D-Link Router  MediumNo official fix available

Technical Summary

The vulnerability arises from hardcoded Telnet credentials in the router firmware, which allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands.

Firmware analysis revealed embedded credentials in configuration files used during Telnet service initialization.

Security experts recommended retiring these EOL devices due to absence of security support and the impossibility of removing hardcoded credentials through configuration changes.

CVE IDSystem AffectedVulnerability DetailsImpact
    CVE-2025-46176D-Link DIR-605L v2.13B01, DIR-816L v2.06B01Telnet service (/usr/sbin/telnetd -l /bin/sh -u Alphanetworks:$image_sign) uses hardcoded credentials from image_sign file, exposing plaintext passwords.      RCE

Recommendations:

As of May 2025, no firmware updates are available to fix the vulnerability. Recommended temporary mitigations include :

  • Disable Telnet access via the router’s web interface.
  • Block Telnet port (23) using firewall rules:

“iptables -A INPUT -p tcp –dport 23 -j DROP”

  • Restrict WAN access to management interfaces.
  • Monitor D-Link’s official support page for firmware updates.

Conclusion:
Security researchers discovered the flaw through firmware analysis, revealing that both router models contain default Telnet credentials that cannot be changed by users. 

While exploitation likelihood is currently assessed as low, vulnerability enables unauthenticated attackers to gain control of the routers, affecting confidentiality, integrity and availability.

Immediate mitigation is advised, especially for publicly exposed devices and Security experts strongly recommend retiring these EOL devices due to the absence of security support and the impossibility of removing hardcoded credentials through configuration changes.

Threat from Legacy Devices:

The vulnerability in Telnet revealed security risks that legacy networking equipment carry with them and is embedded hardcoded credentials in IoT devices.

Inadequate security, harboring multiple unpatched vulnerabilities and relying on inadequate security controls that fail to address underlying risks. This poses a threat not only to device itself, but also to the network and connected critical assets.

References:

Blogs

Frequency & Sophistication of DDoS Attack rise to198% in 1stQ 2025

Ways to protect enterprise assets and infrastructure is not only a CISO’s responsibility but a cause of worry for CXO, CTO ‘s as a powerful DDoS attack can cause havoc on revenues, productivity and reputation.

Threat mitigation from any DDoS attack, requires services from secured and trusted partners who can offer expertise and scale whenever required to mitigate the threats that emerge from DDoS attack.

This is also important from cost point of view as large enterprise bear the burnout and it requires expertise to constantly monitor and clean the traffic that get routed to customer network.

It is important organization find service oriented partners who have skilled networking capacity and processing power so that in face of attack, they can automatically respond to DDoS attacks, detect and mitigate.

According to MazeBolt research, even the best DDoS protections leave enterprises highly exposed. Typically, large-scale, global organizations are only 60% protected – leaving the door wide open for cybercriminals to exploit the gaps.

Statistics show from past DDoS attacks have taken down large services like Spotify, GitHub, Microsoft services like Outlook and OneDrive.

According to new data released by Netscout, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are on the rise. There were 17 million such attacks in 2024 – up from 13 million the year before. It’s an astonishing rise that has big implications for your business.

Defining DDoS attack

When a cyber criminal or malicious actor push for a service with additional requests than it can handle, making the resources unavailable and non-functional subsequently bringing it down.

In cases DDoS attack forcefully shuts a website, network, or computer offline by overloading it with requests. We often hear Black Friday sales out in big giant displays, these often drive a lot of internet traffic towards the brand or one destination at once.

A DDoS attack works when several different IP addresses target the same platform at same time that can overwhelm the server in question and bring it down.

Often, this attack is carried botnets which are a collection of devices when infected with malware, they can controlled remotely by cyber criminals. DDoS attack is executed by several different actors at the same time.

Increase in DDoS Attack in 2025

DDoS attacks increased by 198% compared to the last quarter of 2024 and by 358% compared to the same quarter last year.

On April 3 attack targeted an unnamed online betting organization, lasting around 90 minutes, starting at 11:15 with a surge of 67Gbps, before escalating sharply to 217Gbps by 11:23, and peaked just short of 1Tbps at 965Gbps by 11:36.

Research shows A total of 20.5 million DDoS attacks were stopped during the period, of which 6.6 million attacks were directly targeted at Cloudflare’s infrastructure. Gaming servers were the most popular target for DDoS attacks. Attack patterns remains spotted during the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, held in Germany, where spikes in DDoS activity also targeted online betting sites.

In Geopolitics DDoS has emerged as a tool that is often and can be abused to target attacks.

According to research by NETSCOUT, the second half of 2024 saw almost 9 million DDoS attacks, a 12.75% increase from the first six months. Israel in particular saw a 2,844% increase in attacks, seeing a high of 519 in one day.

The above mentioned Russian hacking group, NoName057(16), focused primarily on government services in the UK, Belgium, and Spain. Georgia also saw a 1,489% increase in attacks in the lead up to the “Russia Bill”, highlighting its use as a political weapon.

Network-layer DDoS attacks were the primary driver of the overall surge. In Q1 2025, 16.8 million of these attacks were blocked, representing a 509% year-over-year rise and a 397% increase from the prior quarter.

Hyper-volumetric attacks, defined as those exceeding 1 terabit per second (Tbps) or one billion packets per second (Bpps), have become increasingly common. Cloudflare reported approximately 700 such attacks during the quarter, averaging about eight per day.

Major targets of DDoS attack

Globally, there have been notable changes in the most-targeted locations. Germany moved up four spots to become the most attacked country in Q1 2025.

Turkey made an 11-place jump to secure second position, while China dropped to third. Hong Kong, India, and Brazil also appeared among the top most-attacked countries, with movements seen across several regions in the rankings. Australia, for its part, remained outside the global top ten.

Industries facing the most pressure have shifted this quarter as well. The Gambling & Casinos sector moved to the top position as the most targeted industry, after climbing four places.

Telecommunications dropped to second, and Information Technology & Services followed in third.

Other industries experiencing notable increases in attacks included Cyber Security, which jumped 37 places, and Airlines, Aviation & Aerospace. In Australia, the industries facing the most attacks were Telecommunications, Information Technology and Services, Human Resources, and Consumer Services.

The report detailed attack vectors and trends, showing that the most common technique at the network layer remains SYN flood attacks, followed by DNS flood and Mirai-launched attacks.

Among HTTP DDoS attacks, more than 60% were identified and blocked as known botnets, with others attributed to suspicious attributes, browser impersonation, and cache busting techniques.

Cloudflare observed significant surges in two emerging attack methods. CLDAP reflection/amplification attacks grew by 3,488% quarter-over-quarter, exploiting the connectionless nature of the protocol to overwhelm victims with reflected traffic.

Similarly, ESP reflection/amplification attacks rose 2,301%, underscoring vulnerabilities in systems using the Encapsulating Security Payload protocol.

Despite the increase in the volume and size of attacks, the report noted that 99% of network-layer DDoS attacks in Q1 2025 were below 1 Gbps and one million packets per second.

Likewise, 94% of HTTP attacks fell below one million requests per second. Most attacks were short-lived, with 89% of network-layer and 75% of HTTP attacks ending within 10 minutes, but the impact can persist much longer due to the resulting service disruptions.

Addressing the rise of DDoS attack & Mitigation solution

DDoS attack intends to disrupt some or all of its target’s services there are variety of DDoS attacks. They are all uniquely different. There are three common types of DDoS attacks:

  • Volumetric (Gbps)
  • Protocol (pps)
  • Application layer (rps) attacks.

An effective DDoS attack is launched when near by network detects easily the cheap IoT devices like toys, small appliances, thermostats, security camera and Wi-Fi routers. These devices makes it easy to launch an effective attack that can have massive impact.

Threat Mitigation of DDoS attack

Application Layer attacks can be detected early with solutions by monitoring visitor behavior, blocking known bad bots and constant testing.

To do this more effectively Intrucept recently launched Cyber Analytics platform

Cyber Analytics platform 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗶.𝗲. 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁-𝗶𝗻-𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀.

✅ XDR (Extended Detection & Response)
✅ Next-Gen SIEM (Security Information & Event Management)
✅ SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation & Response)
✅ Threat Intelligence
✅ AI-Powered Security Analytics
𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀:
Real-time threat detection across endpoints, cloud, networks, and apps
Automated incident response to reduce MTTR & human fatigue
AI-driven insights to power proactive, risk-based decision-making
Built for agility, scalability & actionable intelligence; our platform gives security teams the edge required to move from playing catch-up to staying ahead.
𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀.

Sources; Targeted by 20.5 million DDoS attacks, up 358% year-over-year: Cloudflare’s 2025 Q1 DDoS Threat Report

DDoS attacks have skyrocketed 358% year-over-year, report says

Blogs

Android Malware Crocodilus; Threat for cryptocurrency wallet Users

Crocodilus is a new banking malware that evades detection from Google’s play protect.

The Android malware has been specifically targeting to steal sensitive cryptocurrency wallet credentials through social engineering. Its convincing overlay screen warns users to back up their wallet key within 12 hours or risk losing access says security researchers.

Why threat researchers call this trojan ?

Crocodilus includes all the necessary features of modern banking malware: overlay attacks, keylogging, remote access, and “hidden” remote control capabilities. Also the malware is distributed via a proprietary dropper that bypasses Android 13 (and later) security protections as per researchers of Threat fabric.

Unlike any banking trojan which takes over devices, Crocodilus is similar in pattern and uses tactics to load a fake overlay on top of the real app to intercept the victim’s account credentials. These are targeted mostly for banking or cryptocurrency app users.

Another data theft feature of Crocodilus is a keylogger and the malware monitors all Accessibility events and captures all the elements displayed on the screen, i.e. it is an accessibility Logger.

Intricacies of Crocodilus Malware

The modus operandi of the malware makes it easier to preform task to gains access to accessibility service, to unlock access to screen content, perform navigation gestures, monitor for app launches.

The malware also offers remote access Trojan (RAT) functionality, which enables its operators to tap on the screen, navigate the user interface, perform swipe actions.

The malware is fitted with dedicated RAT command to take a screenshot of the Google Authenticator application and capture one-time password codes used for two-factor authentication account protection.

Android users are advised to avoid downloading APKs from outside Google Play and to ensure that Play Protect is always active on their devices.

Researchers discovered source code of malware revealing debug messages left by the developer(s), reveal Turkish speaking.

The Expanding Threat landscape with evolving Modern Malware’s

The Crocodilus malware designed to go after high valued assets that targets cryptocurrency wallets and Banks. These malware can make the defense line up of banking system weak and researchers advise to adopt a layered security approach that includes thorough device and behavior-based risk analysis on their customers’ devices.

Modern malware has the capability to break the security defenses of organization even if they are protected by cutting edge solutions to defend. As the threat landscape expand so are sophisticated attacks rising.

Modern malware can bypass most security solutions, including email filtering, anti-virus applications, sandboxing, and even IPS/IDS and sometime few file-less malware leaves no footprint on your computer and is executed exclusively in run-time memory.

In this sophisticated war against threat criminals enterprise security requires is taking services for active threat hunting and be diligent in scanning files meant for downloads.

To improve enterprise security the important aspects needs to be covered increase usage of multi-layer defenses. Protecting against modern malware is an ongoing effort, and rarely it is “set and forget.” Utilize multiple layers of security, including anti-virus software, network layer protection, secure web gateways, and other tools for best results.

Keep improving your security posture against modern malware is an ongoing effort and includes multiple layers of security. With anti-virus software, advanced network layer protection, secure web gateways, and other tools the security posture at enterprise level increases.

Remember your best defenses can be in trouble, so continue monitoring, adapt and train employees, while using comprehensive multi-layer approach to security.

Source: https://www.threatfabric.com/blogs/exposing-crocodilus-new-device-takeover-malware-targeting-android-devices

Security Advisory

Multiple High-Severity Vulnerabilities Patched in Zoom  

Summary 

Multiple high-severity vulnerabilities have been identified in Zoom applications, including Zoom Workplace, Rooms Controller, Rooms Client, and Meeting SDK, causing exposure of Sensitive Data.

The most critical flaws, patched in Zoom’s March 11, 2025, security bulletin, include CVE-2025-27440 (heap-based buffer overflow), CVE-2025-27439 (buffer underflow), CVE-2025-0151 (use-after-free) CVE-2025-0150 (incorrect behavior order in iOS Workplace Apps).

All rated high severity with CVSS scores ranging from 7.1 to 8.5. 

OEM Zoom 
Severity High 
CVSS 8.5  
CVEs CVE-2025-27440, CVE-2025-27439, CVE-2025-0151,  CVE-2025-0150, CVE-2025-0149 
Publicly POC Available No 
Patch/Remediation Available Yes 
Advisory Version 1.0 

Overview 

These vulnerabilities could allow attackers to escalate privileges, execute arbitrary code, or cause denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Zoom has released patches addressing these issues in version 6.3.0. 

Vulnerability Name CVE ID Product Affected Severity CVSS Score 
Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability  CVE-2025-27440  ZOOM High 8.5 
Buffer Underflow Vulnerability  CVE-2025-27439  ZOOM High 8.5 
Use-After-Free Vulnerability CVE-2025-0151 ZOOM High  8.5 
Incorrect Behavior Order Vulnerability CVE-2025-0150 ZOOM High 7.1 
Insufficient Data Verification Vulnerability  CVE-2025-0149 ZOOM Medium 6.5 

Technical Summary 

These vulnerabilities could be exploited to gain unauthorized access, execute arbitrary code, or disrupt services through privilege escalation and memory corruption techniques. Exploitation requires authentication and network access, posing a risk to enterprise users. 

CVE ID System Affected Vulnerability Details Impact 
 CVE-2025-27440  Zoom Workplace Apps ( Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as mobile apps for iOS and Android.)  Heap-based buffer overflow, allowing attackers to inject malicious code   Privilege Escalation 
 CVE-2025-27439  Zoom Workplace Apps Buffer underflow, leading to unexpected crashes or data leakage   Denial of Service, Data Exposure 
CVE-2025-0151    Zoom Workplace Apps  Use-after-free issue leading to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution   Privilege Escalation 
CVE-2025-0150  Zoom Workplace Apps (iOS) Incorrect behavior order allowing unauthorized access to authentication tokens   Information Disclosure 
CVE-2025-0149 Zoom Workplace Apps  Insufficient verification of data authenticity, allowing malformed network packets to bypass security checks Denial of Service 

Remediation: 

  • Apply Patches Promptly: Ensure all Zoom applications are updated to version 6.3.0 or later, which includes fixes for 12 vulnerabilities disclosed in March 2025 alone.

Conclusion: 

The recent vulnerabilities in Zoom highlight the ongoing challenges in securing widely used communication platforms. While Zoom has acted swiftly in providing patches, the recurrence of memory corruption and input validation flaws suggests architectural challenges.

Organizations should maintain a proactive security stance, ensuring timely updates and implementing stringent controls to safeguard sensitive data. 

Organizations must treat Zoom not as a neutral utility but as a high-risk vector requiring stringent controls.

References: 

Security Advisory

High-Severity DoS Vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS Software

MPLS Encapsulated IPv6 Denial of Service Vulnerability

OEM CISCO 
Severity High 
CVSS score 7.4 
CVEs CVE-2025-20111 
Exploited in Wild No 
Patch/Remediation Available Yes 
Advisory Version 1.0 

Overview 

A high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2025-20111) in Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series Switches operating in standalone NX-OS mode could allow unauthenticated attackers to trigger a denial-of-service (DoS) condition by sending crafted ethernet frames, leading to unexpected device reloads. 

Vulnerability Name CVE ID Product Affected Severity 
 Denial of service vulnerability  CVE-2025-20111   Cisco Nexus   High 

Technical Summary 

The vulnerability originates from improper handling of specific Ethernet frames within the health monitoring diagnostics of Cisco Nexus switches.

An unauthenticated, adjacent attacker can exploit this flaw by sending a sustained rate of crafted Ethernet frames to a vulnerable device. Successful exploitation results in repeated device reloads, disrupting network operations and potentially impacting high-availability environments. 

CVE ID System Affected Vulnerability Details Impact 
 CVE-2025-20111  Nexus 3000 Series: 3100, 3200, 3400, and 3600 models Nexus 9000 Series: 9200, 9300, and 9400 switches running standalone NX-OS Improper handling of specific Ethernet frames in health monitoring diagnostics  Repeated device reboots, potential network downtime  

Remediation: 

  • Apply Software Updates: Cisco has released patched software versions to address the vulnerability. Network administrators should upgrade affected devices immediately. 
  • Use Cisco Software Checker: Organizations should verify their exposure using Cisco’s Software Checker tool to identify the earliest fixed release. 
  • Implement Workarounds: If immediate patching is not feasible, organizations can mitigate risks using Access Control Lists (ACLs) to filter anomalous Ethernet frames targeting the health monitoring subsystem. 

Conclusion: 

CVE-2025-20111 presents a significant risk to enterprise and data center networks relying on Cisco Nexus switches. While there is no known active exploitation, organizations should prioritize patching and mitigation strategies to prevent service disruptions. Proactive monitoring and adherence to Cisco’s security advisories will help ensure network resilience against potential exploitation. 

References: 

Blogs

Convergence of IT & OT in Manufacturing witness Increased Cyber Attacks

Increasing cyberattacks on Industry 4.0

Continue Reading
Security Advisory

Critical WordPress Security Flaw in Everest Forms Plugin 

UAE Cyber Security Council has observed a critical vulnerability in Everest Forms WordPress
plugin

Continue Reading
Security Advisory

Palo Alto Firewall Vulnerabilities Under Active Exploitation 

An authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2025-0108) in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS allows unauthenticated attackers with network access to bypass authentication on the management web interface.

Summary 

OEM Palo Alto 
Severity High 
Date of Announcement 2025-02-19 
CVEs CVE-2025-0108 
CVSS Score 8.8 
Exploited in Wild Yes 
Patch/Remediation Available Yes 
Advisory Version 1.0 

Overview 

‘Palo Alto Networks says threat actors used a publicly available PoC exploit in attack attempts against firewall customers with PAN-OS management interfaces exposed to the internet’.

This poses a significant risk, particularly when the interface is exposed to the internet or untrusted networks. CISA has added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog due to active exploitation. 

Vulnerability Name CVE ID Product Affected Severity Affected Version 
 Authentication Bypass Vulnerability  CVE-2025-0108  Pan OS         High PAN-OS 10.1: 10.1.0 through 10.1.14 PAN-OS 10.2: 10.2.0 through 10.2.13 PAN-OS 11.1: 11.1.0* through 11.1.6 PAN-OS 11.2: 11.2.0 through 11.2.4 

Technical Summary 

This authentication bypass flaw enables attackers to invoke specific PHP scripts without proper authorization, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the system. Attackers are chaining it with CVE-2024-9474 and CVE-2025-0111 to target unpatched instances. The risk is highest when the management interface is exposed directly to the internet, potentially enabling unauthorized access and manipulation of system configurations. 

Vulnerability Name Details Severity Impact 
 Authentication Bypass Vulnerability  This is an authentication bypass in PAN-OS allowing unauthenticated attackers to invoke PHP scripts on the management interface, compromising system integrity. The vulnerability is critical when exposed to the internet and can be exploited by chaining CVE-2024-9474 and CVE-2025-0111.         High Root access of the affected system, unauthorized file exfiltration. 

Recommendations 

  • Apply the security updates released on February 12, 2025, for PAN-OS versions 10.1, 10.2, 11.1, and 11.2 immediately. 

Here are the details of the required upgrades: 

Version Updated Version 
PAN-OS 11.2 Upgrade to 11.2.4-h4 or later 
PAN-OS 11.1 Upgrade to 11.1.6-h1 or later 
PAN-OS 10.2 Upgrade to 10.2.13-h3 or later 
PAN-OS 10.1 Upgrade to 10.1.14-h9 or later 

General Recommendations 

  • Restrict access to PAN-OS management interfaces to trusted IPs only. 
  • Continuously monitor for suspicious activity, including unauthorized file access and PHP script executions. 
  • Follow best practices for firewall security, including network segmentation and regular vulnerability assessments. 
  • Block IP addresses reported by GreyNoise that are actively targeting CVE-2025-0108, as well as any additional threat intelligence sources identifying malicious activity. 

Conclusion 

The active exploitation of these vulnerabilities highlights the critical need for timely patch management and robust access controls. Given the increasing attack surface and publicly available proof-of-concept exploits, organizations should prioritize remediation to prevent potential breaches. Palo Alto Networks urges customers to secure their firewalls immediately to mitigate this growing threat. 

The vulnerability is therefore of high severity on the CVSS and users were warned that while the PHP scripts that can be invoked, do not themselves enable remote code execution.

References: 

  • https://www.securityweek.com/palo-alto-networks-confirms-exploitation-of-firewall-vulnerability/ 
  • https://www.greynoise.io/blog/greynoise-observes-active-exploitation-of-pan-os-authentication-bypass-vulnerability-cve-2025-0108#GreyNoise   

Security Advisory

Zero-Day Vulnerability in Microsoft Sysinternals Tools  

Summary 

A critical 0-Day vulnerability has been identified in nearly all Microsoft Sysinternals tools, allowing attackers to exploit DLL injection techniques to execute arbitrary code. This presents a significant risk to IT administrators and developers who rely on these utilities for system analysis and troubleshooting.

OEM Microsoft 
Severity High 
Date of Announcement 2025-02-05 
CVEs Not Yet Assigned 
Exploited in Wild No 
Patch/Remediation Available No 
Advisory Version 1.0 
Vulnerability Name Zero-Day  

Overview 

Despite being reported to Microsoft over 90 days ago, the vulnerability remains unpatched, as Microsoft considers it a “defense-in-depth” issue rather than a critical security flaw. 

Vulnerability Name CVE ID Product Affected Severity Impact 
            zero-day  Not Yet Assigned Microsoft Sysinternals Tools (Process Explorer, Autoruns, Bginfo, and potentially others)          High Arbitrary Code Execution, Privilege Escalation, Malware Deployment 

Technical Summary 

The vulnerability is caused by improper handling of DLL loading paths in affected Sysinternals utilities. When these tools search for required DLLs, they follow a specific search order, which may include untrusted locations such as network shares or user-writable directories. 

The issue arises from how Sysinternals tools prioritize DLL search paths, favoring untrusted directories such as: 

  • The Current Working Directory (CWD) 
  • Network locations (e.g., shared drives) 
  • User-writable paths over secure system directories 

This flaw allows attackers to place a malicious DLL in the same directory as a Sysinternals executable, tricking the application into loading the rogue DLL instead of the legitimate system DLL. 

Exploit Workflow 

  1. Attacker crafts a malicious DLL (e.g., cryptbase.dll or TextShaping.dll) containing a payload such as a reverse shell, ransomware, or trojan. 
  1. The DLL is placed in the same directory as a vulnerable Sysinternals tool. 
  1. The user unknowingly executes the tool (e.g., Bginfo.exe or procexp.exe) from that directory. 
  1. The malicious DLL is loaded instead of the legitimate system DLL. 
  1. Attackers gains code execution with the privileges of the running process (potentially SYSTEM privileges if run with admin rights). 

Recommendations 

  1. Avoid Running Sysinternals Tools from Network Locations 
  • Always copy tools to a local trusted directory before execution. 
  • Disable execution of .exe files from network drives if feasible. 
  1. Restrict DLL Search Paths 
  • Use SafeDLLSearchMode to prioritize secure directories. 
  • Implement DLL redirection to force tools to load DLLs from trusted paths. 
  1. Implement Application Control Policies 
  • Use AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) to block unauthorized DLLs from loading. 
  • Restrict execution of Sysinternals tools to trusted admin-only directories. 
  1. Verify DLL Integrity Before Execution 
  • Use SigCheck (Sysinternals) to ensure all loaded DLLs are digitally signed. 
  • Block execution of unsigned or suspicious DLLs in sensitive directories. 
  1. Monitor for Suspicious DLL Loading Behavior 
  • Enable Sysmon logging to detect anomalous DLL loads (Event ID 7). 
  • Monitor for executions of Sysinternals tools from network shares (Event ID 4688). 

Conclusion 

Despite being responsibly disclosed to Microsoft in October 2024, the vulnerability in Sysinternals tools remains unpatched as of February 2025. Microsoft classifies it as a “defense-in-depth” issue, dismissing it as non-critical, while security researchers highlight its severe impact on enterprises, especially those running tools from network shares. This leaves users reliant on manual mitigations to avoid exploitation.

The Sysinternals tools, developed by Microsoft, are a widely-utilized suite of utilities designed to provide in-depth insights into the processes, services, and configurations of Windows systems. 

References: 

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