Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    The Internet Dodges Another Bullet With Wget Flaw

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    October 28, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Linux security

      A critical flaw in the open-source Wget application that is widely used on Linux and Unix systems for retrieving files has been patched quietly.

      “It was found that wget was susceptible to a symlink attack which could create arbitrary files, directories or symbolic links and set their permissions when retrieving a directory recursively through FTP,” developer Vasyl Kaigorodov wrote in a Red Hat Bugzilla comment.

      The flaw was actually first reported to the GNU Wget project by HD Moore, chief research officer at Rapid 7. The vulnerability has now also been publicly identified as CVE-2014-4877.

      “Random bug found by accident, but the implication is that the FTP server can overwrite your entire filesystem,” Moore tweeted to eWEEK.

      So just to recap here, Wget is on nearly every Linux server in the world, and it had a flaw that could have enabled anyone to overwrite directories on a server. That’s very serious.

      Moore is well-known and -respected in security circles as the founder of the open-source Metasploit penetration testing framework. There is now an exploit in Metasploit to let security researchers test the flaw, but Moore and the Metasploit team didn’t jump the gun. The flaw was fixed by the Wget project, with patches available for most modern Linux distributions before there was any hint of trouble publicly reported.

      That’s the way security research should work. Flaws are found and then reported to the affected project or vendor, they get patched, and then security tools let researchers go out and make sure everything is secure.

      Unlike the overly hyped flaws of 2014 including Heartbleed, ShellShock, POODLE and Sandworm, the Wget flaw doesn’t have a branded name—although there has been some lighthearted banter on Twitter about a few possibilities.

      Tod Beardsely joked that the vulnerability should have been named “WGETBLEED,” while security researcher Chris John Riley suggested that the flaw be called “wegetton and the string of death.”

      Joshua Smith suggested the somewhat edgier “wtfget,” and Brandon Perry suggested the name “wgetmeafreeshell.”

      Personally, I have a different name that I’d like to call this bug—thankful. I’m thankful that Moore found and reported this flaw, as we’re all safer as a result.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×