Root code execution via PATH-precedence hijacking
Published Oct 27, 2022 · Updated May 9, 2025
Untrusted search path in OpenLiteSpeed 1.6.15 through 1.7.16 allows remote authenticated users to execute code as root. The container entrypoint runs grep as root by name while /usr/local/bin precedes its trusted location in PATH, allowing that writable directory to supply a malicious replacement. Exploitation requires WebAdmin access and write access to /usr/local/bin; LiteSpeed reports that default Docker tests did not reproduce those permissions and that LiteSpeed Enterprise is unaffected.
Summary
What happened
Untrusted search path in OpenLiteSpeed 1.6.15 through 1.7.16 allows remote authenticated users to execute code as root. The container entrypoint runs grep as root by name while /usr/local/bin precedes its trusted location in PATH, allowing that writable directory to supply a malicious replacement. Exploitation requires WebAdmin access and write access to /usr/local/bin; LiteSpeed reports that default Docker tests did not reproduce those permissions and that LiteSpeed Enterprise is unaffected.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-0074
- Published
- Oct 27, 2022
- Updated
- May 9, 2025
- Vendor
- LiteSpeed Technologies
- Product
- OpenLiteSpeed
- Classifications
- CWE-426, T1574.007
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 27, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 9, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1.6.15 <1.7.16.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Unit 42 OpenLiteSpeed PATH hijack demonstrationproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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