Horizon Alert
Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters
A critical vulnerability has been identified in Signal K Server, a maritime navigation data application. This issue could allow unauthorized access to sensitive files, potentially enabling attackers to gain administrative control and execute commands on the affected server. The primary concern is confirming if this specific technology is in use and assessing any potential exposure.
- Allows unauthorized reading and writing files.
- Could lead to server compromise and command execution.
- Confirm relevance and assess exposure.
Attack Path
How an attacker could exploit the issue
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted request to the Signal K Server's v2 REST API. This allows them to read arbitrary files on the server, potentially revealing sensitive information such as JWT signing secrets and password hashes. With this information, an attacker can forge an administrator token to gain administrative access and execute commands on the server, leading to a complete system compromise.
- Network access to the server.
- Accessing the GET /signalk/v2/api/resources/:resourceType/:resourceId endpoint.
- Reading sensitive files, forging admin tokens, and executing commands.
Live Threat
Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context
When supported by the advisory, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to read arbitrary JSON files from the server, including sensitive information like JWT signing secrets and password hashes, when anonymously accessing or using a read-only token. This exposure could then enable an attacker to forge administrator tokens, create a provider to execute commands with server process privileges, and persist these changes.
- Server configuration files and JWT secrets.
- Accessing files via an unsafe resource ID.
- Unauthorized command execution and token forging.
Operational Fix
Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps
Determining the exact ownership for this Signal K Server vulnerability requires understanding your deployment. Typically, application owners or platform teams responsible for the central hub's software stack should lead the effort. The first critical step is to identify all instances of the affected Signal K Server, assess their network exposure and business criticality, and then locate the accountable owner for each instance to plan remediation.
- Identify and confirm Signal K Server instances.
- Verify network exposure and assess business criticality.
- Plan and coordinate remediation with accountable owners.
