Autolab is vulnerable to remote code execution (RCE) via MOSS functionality
Autolab is a course management service, initially developed by a team of students at Carnegie Mellon University, that enables instructors to offer autograded programming assignments to their students over the Web. A remote code execution vulnerability was discovered in Autolab's MOSS functionality, whereby an instructor with access to the feature might be able to execute code on the server hosting Autolab. This vulnerability has been patched in version 2.10.0. As a workaround, disable the MOSS feature if it is unneeded by replacing the body of `run_moss` in `app/controllers/courses_controller.rb` with `render(plain: "Feature disabled", status: :bad_request) && return`.
- Published
- Jan 13, 2023
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 1.5% · 73th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-78
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Report tools
Action score
35
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 1.5%
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 8.8
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 8.8
- agree
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| autolabproject | autolab | cpe:2.3:a:autolabproject:autolab |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- autolabproject autolab2.0.2 and later · before 2.10.0
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
autolab Autolab
- >= 2.0.1, <= 2.9.0affected
Same product
autolabproject: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2024-53258download_all_submissions allows student to download another student's submissions in Autolab28Monitor
- CVE-2024-49376Autolab Has Misconfigured Reset Password Permissions28Monitor
- CVE-2023-32676Autolab tar slip in Install Assessment functionality (`GHSL-2023-081`)28Monitor
- CVE-2023-32317Autolab tar slip in cheat checker functionality (`GHSL-2023-082`)28Monitor
- CVE-2024-53260Course Roster vulnerable to CSV Injection in Autolab27Monitor
- CVE-2022-41956Autolab is vulnerable to file disclosure via remote handin feature27Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| autolab Autolab | 2.10.0 · description | Vendor (CNA) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-78 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
User input is inserted as text into a shell command. The shell may interpret special characters in the input as part of the command.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-78 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
const host = req.body.host;exec("ping -c 1 " + host, onResult);Fixed
const host = req.body.host;if (!/^[a-z0-9.-]{1,253}$/i.test(host)) return res.sendStatus(400);execFile("ping", ["-c", "1", host], onResult);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Command DelimitersCAPEC-15likelihood: High · High
- Exploiting Multiple Input Interpretation LayersCAPEC-43likelihood: Medium · High
- Argument InjectionCAPEC-6likelihood: High · High
- OS Command InjectionCAPEC-88likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- github.com/autolab/Autolab/security/advisories/GHSA-x5r3-vf3p-3269
- securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2022-100_Autolab/
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.