Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a code injection issue in the wxExecute() function of OpenCPN version 5.12.0. It occurs because user-defined commands are executed directly through the system shell without proper input sanitization.

Attackers can exploit this by embedding shell metacharacters (such as & or |) into the command string, which allows them to execute arbitrary commands on the system.

The vulnerable code is located in launcher_pi.cpp, specifically in the wxExecute(cmd, wxEXEC_ASYNC) call, which passes the command to the shell in the Windows environment.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the same privileges as the OpenCPN application.

As a result, an attacker could run unintended commands on your system, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data manipulation, or system compromise.

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Detection Guidance

Detection of this vulnerability involves monitoring for suspicious command execution patterns that include shell metacharacters such as & or | within the OpenCPN application context.

Since the vulnerability arises from the wxExecute() function executing user-defined commands without sanitization, you can check running processes or logs for commands containing unusual shell metacharacters.

• On Windows, use Process Monitor (Procmon) to filter for OpenCPN processes executing commands with shell metacharacters.
• Use PowerShell to search for suspicious command lines in process lists, for example: Get-WmiObject Win32_Process | Where-Object { $_.CommandLine -match '[&|]' }
• Review OpenCPN plugin configuration files or user-defined command inputs for presence of shell metacharacters.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation steps include avoiding the use of user-defined commands that contain shell metacharacters in OpenCPN version 5.12.0 and its Launcher Plugin.

Restrict or disable the Launcher Plugin if possible until a patch or update is available.

Limit the privileges of the OpenCPN application to reduce the impact of potential arbitrary code execution.

Monitor and audit command inputs and execution related to OpenCPN to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.

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