Hackers Exploit GeoServer RCE to Deploy Malware

Cybersecurity researchers at Fortinet recently discovered that hackers have been exploiting GeoServer RCE vulnerability to deploy malware, and the vulnerability is tracked as “CVE-2024-36401.”

GeoServer RCE Vulnerability

GeoServer is an open-source server that allows users to share, process, and publish geospatial data. It enables users to display and edit geographic information from various sources and formats, such as maps, spatial databases, and geospatial files.

Different hackers exploited this vulnerability to spread malware across various countries and regions.

Some of the key malware includes GOREVERSE, a reverse proxy tool, and SideWalk, a Linux backdoor created by APT41. The malware also used ChaCha20 and XOR encryption to hide traffic and communicate with command-and-control (C2) servers.

Hackers used the Fast Reverse Proxy (FRP) tool to blend malicious data with legitimate traffic, making it harder to detect.

As a result, several cryptocurrency miners, including XMRig, were installed, targeting CPU architectures like ARM, MIPS, and x86.

The Fortinet report says these miners connected to pools like SupportXMR and used scripts to remove cloud monitoring tools and disable security features. Attackers used various methods like DNS queries, HTTP file servers, and cron jobs, showing the complexity and multi-layered approach to breaching and profiting from vulnerable systems.

To address this critical vulnerability, the original XPath expression evaluator was replaced with the safer “JXPathUtils.newSafeContext” function.

For added protection, organizations should:

• Keep software updated and patched.
• Implement threat monitoring tools.
• Restrict access tightly.

These measures are essential to reduce the risk of exploitation. By taking these steps before deploying GeoServer environments, users can better protect their geospatial data infrastructure and maintain the security of their open-source systems.

IoC

URL

hxxp://181[.]214[.]58[.]14:61231/remote.sh
hxxp://1[.]download765[.]online/d
hxxp://188[.]214[.]27[.]50:4782/sky
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]arm
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]arm5
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]arm6
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]arm7
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]m68k
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]mips
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]mpsl
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]ppc
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]sh4
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]x86
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/bot[.]x86_64
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/JrLinux
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/Linux2[.]4
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/Linux2[.]6
hxxp://209[.]146[.]124[.]181:8030/taskhost[.]exe
hxxp://oss[.]17ww[.]vip/21929e87-85ff-4e98-a837-ae0079c9c860.txt/test.sh
hxxp://oss[.]17ww[.]vip/21929e87-85ff-4e98-a837-ae0079c9c860.txt/sshd
hxxp://ec2-54-191-168-81[.]us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/css/linuxsys
hxxp://ec2-54-191-168-81[.]us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/css/config.json
hxxp://ec2-13-250-11-113[.]ap-southeast-1.compute.amazonaws.com/css/linuxsys
hxxp://ec2-13-250-11-113[.]ap-southeast-1.compute.amazonaws.com/css/config.json
hxxp://95[.]85[.]93[.]196:80/h4
hxxp://112[.]133[.]194[.]254/cron.sh
hxxp://112[.]133[.]194[.]254/check.sh
hxxp://112[.]133[.]194[.]254/config.sh

IP Address/Hostname

181[.]214[.]58[.]14:18201
47[.]253[.]46[.]11
secure[.]systemupdatecdn[.]de
188[.]214[.]27[.]50
bots[.]gxz[.]me
209[.]146[.]124[.]181
sdfasdfsf[.]9527527[.]xyz:3333
gsdasdfadfs[.]9527527[.]xyz:3333
pool[.]supportxmr[.]com:80
95[.]85[.]93[.]196:4443
pool[.]supportxmr[.]com:3333
59[.]59[.]59[.]59

Wallet

49VQVgmN9vYccj2tEgD7qgJPbLiGQcQ4uJxTRkTJUCZXRruR7HFD7keebLdYj6Bf5xZKhFKFANFxZhj3BCmRT9pe4NG325b+50000
41qqpRxT7ocGsbZPeU9JcbfRiHLy3j8DWhdKzv8Yr2VS1QPcFLmfHVJFWEBDfWaB3N6HxuVuAb73nES36bN2rhevGnZ12nA

SHA256Hash
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