CVE-2017-17562
Embedthis GoAhead before 3.6.5 allows remote code execution if CGI is enabled and a CGI program is dynamically linked. This is a result of…
- 8.1HighCVSS base score
- 97.1%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 0.1% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 10 Dec 2021
- 4Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
Description
Embedthis GoAhead before 3.6.5 allows remote code execution if CGI is enabled and a CGI program is dynamically linked. This is a result of initializing the environment of forked CGI scripts using untrusted HTTP request parameters in the cgiHandler function in cgi.c. When combined with the glibc dynamic linker, this behaviour can be abused for remote code execution using special parameter names such as LD_PRELOAD. An attacker can POST their shared object payload in the body of the request, and reference it using /proc/self/fd/0.
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as Embedthis GoAhead Remote Code Execution Vulnerability.
- Added
- 10 Dec 2021
- Fix due (US federal)
- 10 Jun 2022
- Used by ransomware
- Not known
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV, since 10 Dec 2021.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list a Metasploit module, a Nuclei template and 2 Exploit-DB entries for it. 2 references of the record are tagged as an exploit. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Show the exploits6
Metasploit modules1 module
- GoAhead Web Server LD_PRELOAD Arbitrary Module Load (Metasploit module) (opens in a new tab)
exploit/linux/http/goahead_ldpreloadRank excellentdisclosed 18 Dec 2017
Nuclei templates1 template
- Embedthis GoAhead <3.6.5 - Remote Code Execution (Nuclei template) (opens in a new tab)
http/cves/2017/CVE-2017-17562.yamlSeverity high
Exploit-DB2 entries
- GoAhead Web Server 2.5 < 3.6.5 - HTTPd 'LD_PRELOAD' Arbitrary Module Load (Metasploit) (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 43877remote, multiplepublished 24 Jan 2018Verified
- GoAhead Web Server 2.5 < 3.6.5 - HTTPd 'LD_PRELOAD' Remote Code Execution (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 43360remote, linuxpublished 18 Dec 2017Verified
References tagged exploit2 references
- 43360 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
- 43877 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By mitre
Published
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited in the wild
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | High8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | High8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 97.1% · top 0.1% of all CVEs (10 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 8.1.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
9
- https://github.com/elttam/advisories/tree/master/CVE-2017-17562 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- 1040702 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKx_transferred
- https://www.elttam.com.au/blog/goahead/ (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- 43360 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2018-3678067.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- https://github.com/embedthis/goahead/commit/6f786c123196eb622625a920d54048629a7caa74 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://github.com/embedthis/goahead/issues/249 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- 43877 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2017-17562 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2017-8720 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2017-17562)Record last updated .