Executive Report
High-level summary for non-technical stakeholders, including risks and mitigation strategies.
Security Assessment Report: "Ignite" System
Purpose of the Assessment
This report provides an overview of the security assessment performed on the Ignite machine from TryHackMe. The objective of this assessment was to identify vulnerabilities in the system, exploit them to gain unauthorized access, and demonstrate the potential risks posed by these security weaknesses.
Key Findings
During the assessment, multiple vulnerabilities were identified that could allow an attacker to compromise the system:
Outdated CMS with Known Vulnerabilities: The target system was running FuelCMS 1.4, which has multiple Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities.
Unprotected Admin Panel: The CMS allowed direct access to the administrative panel without authentication.
Remote Code Execution (RCE) Exploit: A known exploit allowed command injection and system compromise.
Misconfigured Database Credentials: Hardcoded database credentials provided root access to the system.
Privilege Escalation via Misconfigured User Permissions: Weak privilege separation allowed escalation to full root control.
Impact
If exploited in a real-world environment, these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to:
Gain unauthorized administrative access to the web application.
Execute arbitrary commands on the system, leading to full control.
Extract sensitive credentials from configuration files.
Escalate privileges to obtain full root access to the system.
Attack Path Summary
Reconnaissance: Identified the open HTTP service hosting FuelCMS 1.4.
Exploitation: Used a known Python-based RCE exploit to gain initial access.
Reverse Shell Execution: Established a persistent connection to maintain access.
Privilege Escalation: Retrieved database credentials from a configuration file to gain root access.
Recommendations
Short-Term Actions:
Update FuelCMS to the latest secure version and apply patches.
Restrict public access to the admin panel and enforce authentication.
Remove hardcoded credentials from configuration files and implement secure database authentication methods.
Long-Term Actions:
Conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify and mitigate security risks.
Implement least privilege principles to prevent unnecessary privilege escalation.
Establish a monitoring system to detect suspicious activity in real-time.
Conclusion
The Ignite assessment demonstrated how outdated software, misconfigured authentication, and poor privilege management could lead to a full system compromise. Addressing these vulnerabilities through software updates, stricter access controls, and security best practices will significantly improve system resilience and reduce the risk of exploitation.
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