Executive Report

High-level summary for non-technical stakeholders, including risks and mitigation strategies.

Security Assessment Report: "ColddBox" System

Purpose of the Report

This report presents the results of a penetration test conducted on the c0ldd Box machine. The objective was to assess the security posture of the system, focusing on web application vulnerabilities and privilege escalation opportunities.

Executive Summary

Access to the machine was achieved through an outdated WordPress installation. By enumerating users and performing a brute-force attack, administrative access was obtained. This allowed for the upload of a malicious plugin, resulting in shell access. Credentials reused in configuration files led to user escalation. Finally, insecure sudo permissions allowed root compromise.

Impact

The vulnerabilities identified allowed for complete system takeover by an unauthenticated attacker.

  • Exposure of sensitive configuration data

  • Compromise of user credentials

  • Full root access via misconfigured sudo permissions

These issues demonstrate a critical failure in access control, credential hygiene, and software maintenance.

Key Recommendations

  • Immediately update WordPress to the latest version.

  • Remove unnecessary sudo privileges from users.

  • Enforce strong password policies and disable credential reuse.

  • Isolate web application access from system-level functions.

Methodology

  1. Service enumeration via Nmap

  2. WordPress user enumeration with WPScan

  3. Credential brute-forcing using a known wordlist

  4. Reverse shell upload and execution

  5. Post-exploitation to obtain sensitive data

  6. Privilege escalation via misconfigured sudo access

Detailed Findings

  • WordPress 4.1.31 exposed on port 80

  • Valid credentials for user c0ldd discovered through brute-force

  • Admin panel allowed arbitrary plugin uploads

  • Reverse shell executed from uploaded PHP script

  • wp-config.php file revealed reusable credentials

  • c0ldd user had sudo access to vim, ftp, and chmod, allowing privilege escalation to root

Recommendations

Short-Term:

  • Patch WordPress immediately

  • Remove dangerous binaries (vim, chmod, etc.) from sudo access

  • Disable plugin uploads or restrict to trusted admins only

  • Use separate credentials for database and system accounts

Long-Term:

  • Implement central authentication and auditing

  • Review and minimize the use of sudo

  • Regularly scan for outdated software

  • Conduct periodic penetration tests to validate hardening

Conclusion

The c0ldd Box machine was successfully compromised due to a combination of outdated software, weak access controls, and poor privilege management. Addressing these issues promptly is essential to reducing the system’s attack surface and preventing full compromise in real-world environments.

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