📄 Description (English)
Endian Firewall version 3.3.25 and prior allow authenticated users to execute arbitrary OS commands via the DATE parameter to /cgi-bin/logs_smtp.cgi. The DATE parameter value is used to construct a file path that is passed to a Perl open() call, which allows command injection due to an incomplete regular expression validation.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
Endian Firewall versions 3.3.25 and prior contain a critical command injection vulnerability in the SMTP logs module that allows authenticated users to execute arbitrary OS commands. The vulnerability exploits incomplete input validation in the DATE parameter passed to /cgi-bin/logs_smtp.cgi, enabling attackers with valid credentials to gain full system compromise. This poses significant risk to Saudi organizations using Endian Firewall as their primary security gateway, particularly in banking and government sectors where firewall integrity is critical.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 23, 2026 07:38
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Saudi banking institutions (SAMA-regulated) using Endian Firewall face critical risk of internal network compromise through authenticated insider threats or compromised admin accounts. Government agencies (NCA oversight) relying on Endian for perimeter defense could experience complete firewall bypass, exposing classified networks. Saudi Aramco and energy sector organizations using this firewall for OT/IT segmentation face potential operational technology compromise. Telecom operators (STC, Mobily) using Endian for DDoS mitigation and traffic filtering could lose security effectiveness. Healthcare organizations (MOH) using Endian for patient data protection face HIPAA-equivalent compliance violations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only valid credentials, making insider threats and credential compromise scenarios highly probable in Saudi organizations.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking & Financial Services (SAMA-regulated)
Government & Defense (NCA oversight)
Energy & Oil & Gas (Saudi Aramco, downstream operators)
Telecommunications (STC, Mobily, Zain)
Healthcare (MOH, private hospitals)
Critical Infrastructure (water, electricity, transportation)
Education (universities, research institutions)
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application (firewall web interface)
T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter (OS command injection via Perl)
T1078 - Valid Accounts (exploitation requires authentication)
T1548 - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism (privilege escalation from web service user to root)
T1070 - Indicator Removal (attacker could clear logs post-exploitation)
T1021 - Remote Service Session Initiation (lateral movement after firewall compromise)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.9
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Verify Endian Firewall version in use — check /etc/endian-release or admin console
2. Restrict administrative access to /cgi-bin/logs_smtp.cgi via firewall rules or web server ACLs
3. Implement network segmentation to limit access to firewall management interfaces
4. Review authentication logs for suspicious DATE parameter usage patterns
5. Disable SMTP logging functionality if not operationally required
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Contact Endian support immediately for security patch availability timeline
2. If patch unavailable, plan migration to alternative firewall solutions (Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco ASA)
3. Implement temporary compensating controls: disable web-based log access, use SSH-only administration
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if patch unavailable):
1. Deploy WAF rules to block requests containing shell metacharacters in DATE parameter (;|&$()\`)
2. Implement strict input validation: DATE parameter must match YYYY-MM-DD format only
3. Run Endian Firewall in restricted container/VM with minimal OS privileges
4. Enable command auditing on firewall OS to detect unauthorized command execution
5. Implement real-time file integrity monitoring on /cgi-bin/ directory
DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor HTTP POST requests to /cgi-bin/logs_smtp.cgi with DATE parameters containing: backticks, $(), semicolons, pipes, ampersands, or backslashes
2. Alert on any process spawning from Perl interpreter with suspicious command patterns
3. Monitor /var/log/auth.log for root command execution from www-data or firewall web service user
4. Detect file creation/modification in /tmp or /var/tmp from firewall processes
5. IDS signature: Alert on HTTP requests matching regex: logs_smtp\.cgi.*DATE=.*[;|&$()\`]
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحقق من إصدار جدار حماية Endian قيد الاستخدام — تحقق من /etc/endian-release أو وحدة التحكم الإدارية
2. قيد الوصول الإداري إلى /cgi-bin/logs_smtp.cgi عبر قواعد جدار الحماية أو قوائم التحكم في الوصول لخادم الويب
3. تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة لتحديد الوصول إلى واجهات إدارة جدار الحماية
4. راجع سجلات المصادقة للأنماط المريبة في استخدام معامل DATE
5. عطّل وظيفة تسجيل SMTP إذا لم تكن مطلوبة تشغيلياً
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. اتصل بدعم Endian فوراً للحصول على الجدول الزمني لتوفر تصحيح الأمان
2. إذا لم يكن التصحيح متاحاً، خطط للهجرة إلى حلول جدار حماية بديلة (Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco ASA)
3. تنفيذ الضوابط التعويضية: تعطيل الوصول إلى السجلات عبر الويب، استخدام الإدارة عبر SSH فقط
الضوابط التعويضية (إذا لم يكن التصحيح متاحاً):
1. نشر قواعد WAF لحجب الطلبات التي تحتوي على أحرف shell في معامل DATE (;|&$()\`)
2. تنفيذ التحقق الصارم من المدخلات: يجب أن يطابق معامل DATE تنسيق YYYY-MM-DD فقط
3. تشغيل جدار حماية Endian في حاوية/VM مقيدة بامتيازات نظام تشغيل دنيا
4. تفعيل تدقيق الأوامر على نظام تشغيل جدار الحماية للكشف عن تنفيذ الأوامر غير المصرح به
5. تنفيذ المراقبة الفورية لسلامة الملفات في دليل /cgi-bin/
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة طلبات HTTP POST إلى /cgi-bin/logs_smtp.cgi مع معاملات DATE تحتوي على: علامات اقتباس عكسية، $()، فواصل منقوطة، أنابيب، علامات العطف، أو شرطات مائلة للخلف
2. تنبيه على أي عملية تنبثق من مترجم Perl مع أنماط أوامر مريبة
3. مراقبة /var/log/auth.log لتنفيذ أوامر root من مستخدم www-data أو خدمة ويب جدار الحماية
4. الكشف عن إنشاء/تعديل الملفات في /tmp أو /var/tmp من عمليات جدار الحماية
5. توقيع IDS: تنبيه على طلبات HTTP المطابقة للتعبير العادي: logs_smtp\.cgi.*DATE=.*[;|&$()\`]
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
A.5.1.1 - Information Security Policies (firewall security controls)
A.6.1.1 - Internal Organization (access control to firewall administration)
A.8.1.1 - Asset Management (firewall asset inventory and patching)
A.12.2.1 - Change Management (firewall version control and updates)
A.12.6.1 - Management of Technical Vulnerabilities (vulnerability assessment and remediation)
🔵 SAMA CSF
Governance & Risk Management - Vulnerability Management
Information & Cyber Security - Access Control (administrative access to firewall)
Information & Cyber Security - System Hardening (firewall configuration security)
Operational Resilience - Incident Detection & Response (command injection detection)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.5.1 - Management Direction (security policy for firewall controls)
A.6.1 - Internal Organization (segregation of duties for firewall administration)
A.8.1 - Asset Management (inventory and lifecycle management)
A.12.2 - Change Management (firewall patching and updates)
A.12.6 - Management of Technical Vulnerabilities (vulnerability assessment)
A.13.1 - Network Security (firewall integrity and availability)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
Requirement 1.1 - Firewall Configuration Standards (firewall security effectiveness)
Requirement 2.1 - Default Passwords (firewall admin credential management)
Requirement 6.2 - Security Patches (firewall vulnerability patching)
Requirement 11.2 - Vulnerability Scanning (firewall vulnerability assessment)
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
endian:firewall_community