CVE-2024-55020: Weintek Easyweb RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-55020 Overview

CVE-2024-55020 is a command injection vulnerability affecting the DHCP activation feature of Weintek cMT-3072XH2 easyweb Web Version v2.1.53 running OS version 20231011. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on affected devices, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

The vulnerability exists due to improper input validation (CWE-20) in the DHCP configuration functionality of the industrial HMI (Human-Machine Interface) device. Attackers can exploit this flaw remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in industrial control system (ICS) environments.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can execute arbitrary commands with root privileges, enabling complete device takeover, lateral movement within industrial networks, and potential disruption of critical infrastructure operations.

Affected Products

• Weintek cMT-3072XH2 Hardware
• Weintek cMT-3072XH2 Firmware version 20231011
• Weintek EasyWeb version 2.1.53

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-03 - CVE-2024-55020 published to NVD
• 2026-03-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-55020

Vulnerability Analysis

The command injection vulnerability resides in the DHCP activation feature of the Weintek cMT-3072XH2 web interface. When processing DHCP configuration requests, the device fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to system shell commands. This allows an attacker to inject malicious shell metacharacters that are subsequently executed with root privileges on the underlying operating system.

Industrial HMI devices like the Weintek cMT-3072XH2 are commonly deployed in manufacturing, utilities, and critical infrastructure environments where they provide operator interfaces to programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and other industrial equipment. Compromising such devices can have severe consequences, including operational disruption, safety hazards, and unauthorized access to sensitive industrial processes.

The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without requiring any prior authentication or user interaction, significantly increasing the risk exposure for organizations with internet-facing or poorly segmented industrial networks.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-55020 is improper input validation (CWE-20) in the DHCP activation functionality. The web application fails to adequately sanitize or validate user-controlled parameters before incorporating them into operating system commands. This allows specially crafted input containing shell metacharacters (such as ;, |, &&, or backticks) to break out of the intended command context and execute arbitrary attacker-controlled commands.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable via the network attack vector. An unauthenticated attacker can send specially crafted HTTP requests to the DHCP activation feature of the EasyWeb interface. By injecting shell commands into vulnerable parameters, the attacker can achieve remote code execution with root privileges.

The attack does not require any special privileges or user interaction, making it trivial to exploit for attackers who can reach the device over the network. Once exploited, attackers gain complete control over the HMI device, potentially enabling them to manipulate industrial processes, exfiltrate sensitive data, or pivot to other systems on the network.

Technical details regarding exploitation methodology can be found in the publicly available GitHub Gist PoC and the Notion Project Overview.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-55020

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected outbound network connections from the cMT-3072XH2 device to external IP addresses
• Unusual process execution or shell spawning on the HMI device
• Anomalous HTTP requests to the DHCP configuration endpoints containing shell metacharacters
• Unauthorized configuration changes or new user accounts created on the device

Detection Strategies

• Monitor HTTP traffic to Weintek EasyWeb interfaces for suspicious patterns in DHCP-related requests, particularly those containing shell metacharacters like ;, |, &&, $(, or backticks
• Implement network intrusion detection rules to identify command injection patterns targeting the /cgi-bin/ paths or DHCP configuration endpoints
• Review web server access logs on affected devices for anomalous request patterns
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity agents where possible to detect post-exploitation activities and lateral movement attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Segment industrial HMI devices on isolated network segments with strict access controls
• Implement continuous network traffic analysis for OT/ICS environments to detect anomalous communication patterns
• Enable logging on all industrial devices and forward logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation and alerting
• Monitor for unauthorized firmware updates or configuration changes on affected devices

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-55020

Immediate Actions Required

• Isolate affected Weintek cMT-3072XH2 devices from untrusted networks immediately
• Implement strict network segmentation to prevent unauthorized access to HMI devices
• Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) or reverse proxies to filter malicious requests containing shell metacharacters
• Audit device configurations and logs for signs of prior exploitation
• Contact Weintek support to obtain information about available security patches or firmware updates

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no vendor patch information is available in the CVE data. Organizations should monitor Weintek's official channels for security advisories and firmware updates addressing this vulnerability. Check the GitHub Gist PoC and Notion Project Overview for the latest information regarding available fixes.

Workarounds

• Restrict network access to the EasyWeb interface using firewall rules or ACLs to allow only trusted management IP addresses
• Disable the DHCP activation feature if not required for operational purposes
• Place affected devices behind a VPN to require authenticated network access before reaching the management interface
• Implement application-layer filtering to block requests containing shell metacharacters to vulnerable endpoints

# Example iptables rules to restrict access to EasyWeb interface
# Replace 192.168.1.0/24 with your trusted management network

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP