Exploit released for vulnerability targeted by Linksys router worm
February 17, 2014 – 9:21 AMTechnical details about a vulnerability in Linksys routers that’s being exploited by a new worm have been released Sunday along with a proof-of-concept exploit and a larger than earlier expected list of potentially vulnerable device models.
Last week, security researchers from the SANS Institute’s Internet Storm Center identified a self-replicating malware program that exploits an authentication bypass vulnerability to infect Linksys routers. The worm has been named TheMoon.
The initial report from SANS ISC said the vulnerability is located in a CGI script that’s part of the administration interface of multiple Linksys’ E-Series router models. However, the SANS researchers didn’t name the vulnerable CGI script at the time.
On Sunday, a Reddit user identified four CGI scripts that he believed were likely to be vulnerable. An exploit writer, who uses the online alias Rew, later confirmed that at least two of those scripts are vulnerable and published a proof-of-concept exploit.
“I was hoping this would stay under wraps until a firmware patch could be released, but it appears the cat is out of the bag,” Rew wrote in the exploit notes.
The exploit also contains a list of Linksys routers that Rew believes might be vulnerable based on strings extracted from the original TheMoon malware. The list includes not only models from the Linksys E-Series, but also from the Wireless-N product line.
The following models are listed: E4200, E3200, E3000, E2500, E2100L, E2000, E1550, E1500, E1200, E1000, E900, E300, WAG320N, WAP300N, WAP610N, WES610N, WET610N, WRT610N, WRT600N, WRT400N, WRT320N, WRT160N and WRT150N. However, Rew notes that the list might not be accurate or complete.
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