CVE-2024-28133
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA local low privileged attacker can use an untrusted search path in a CHARX system utility to gain root privileges.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceA local low-privileged attacker exploits an untrusted search path vulnerability in a CHARX system utility. By controlling or manipulating the PATH environment variable, the attacker can cause the utility to execute a malicious binary under their control instead of the intended system binary, resulting in privilege escalation from low-privileged user to root.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 1.5.1<= 1.5.1<= 1.5.1<= 1.5.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify CHARX device model and firmware versionAccess the device web interface or use the vendor's management tool to retrieve the firmware version. Check the device model (Sec 3000, 3050, 3100, or 3150) and the installed firmware version number.Affected if The firmware version is 1.5.1 or lower, indicating the device is running an affected version.
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Check if the CHARX utility is accessibleLocate the CHARX system utility on the device. This is typically found in the device's operating system path or management interface. Determine if the utility binary exists on the system.Affected if The CHARX utility is present on the system and can be executed by a low-privileged user.
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Examine the PATH environment variable used by CHARXRun the CHARX utility while printing the PATH environment variable it uses. On the device shell or management interface, execute the utility and inspect what PATH it inherits or uses.Affected if The PATH contains directories that are writable by low-privileged users, or the utility relies on PATH-based resolution instead of absolute paths.
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Verify directory permissions in the PATHList all directories listed in the PATH environment variable accessible to the CHARX utility. Check write permissions on each directory using standard file permission commands (ls -la).Affected if Any directory in the PATH is world-writable or writable by the low-privileged attacker, allowing binary injection.
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Test for untrusted search path behaviorCreate a test binary with a unique name in a writable PATH directory that might be searched before the intended system binary. Execute CHARX and observe which binary is invoked.Affected if CHARX executes a binary from a writable PATH directory instead of the expected system binary, confirming the untrusted search path vulnerability.
The environment is affected if the CHARX Sec device runs firmware version 1.5.1 or lower AND the PATH environment variable accessible to the CHARX utility contains writable directories that could be controlled by a low-privileged attacker.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataRestrict write access to directories in the PATH environment variable, ensure the CHARX utility uses absolute paths for binary execution, and remove world-writable directories from PATH. Apply vendor patches when available.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-28133 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-28133 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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