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CVE-2018-4021· NVD / CVE Program· CNA talos

An exploitable command injection vulnerability exists in the way Netgate pfSense CE 2.4.4-RELEASE processes the parameters of a specific POS

An exploitable command injection vulnerability exists in the way Netgate pfSense CE 2.4.4-RELEASE processes the parameters of a specific POST request. The attacker can exploit this and gain the ability to execute arbitrary commands on the system. An attacker needs to be able to send authenticated POST requests to the administration web interface. Command injection is possible in the `powerd_battery_mode` POST parameter.

HighCVSS 7.2 · v3.1—No exploit No fix recorded
Published
Dec 3, 2018
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
72.2% · 99th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

50

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
28 / 40 · 7.2 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
22 / 30 · 72.2%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
7.2
CNA · talos
7.2
agree

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
netgatepfsense

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • netgate pfsense2.4.4

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (talos). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Netgate Netgate pfSense

    • Netgate pfSense CE 2.4.4-RELEASEaffected

Same product

netgate: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2023-27253A command injection vulnerability in the function restore_rrddata() of Netgate pfSense v2.7.0 allows authenticated attackers to execute arbi
    62This week
  • CVE-2023-48123An issue in Netgate pfSense Plus v.23.05.1 and before and pfSense CE v.2.7.0 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafte
    55Plan
  • CVE-2023-42326An issue in Netgate pfSense v.2.7.0 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafted request to the interfaces_gif_edit.php
    54Plan
  • CVE-2019-16667diag_command.php in pfSense 2.4.4-p3 allows CSRF via the txtCommand or txtRecallBuffer field, as demonstrated by executing OS commands.
    51Plan
  • CVE-2015-2295Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in system_firmware_restorefullbackup.php in the WebGUI in pfSense before 2.2.1 allows remote
    47Plan
  • CVE-2017-1000479pfSense versions 2.4.1 and lower are vulnerable to clickjacking attacks in the CSRF error page resulting in privileged execution of arbitrar
    45Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

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.

EPSS, last 120 days

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 researchers

Finders, 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.
  • Administrator privileges are required.
  • 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
High
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:H/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 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const host = req.body.host;exec("ping -c 1 " + host, onResult);

Fixed

ts
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.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

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