"OpenSSH Vulnerability Uncovered by Researchers, RCE Exploit Developed"

Researchers have discovered a vulnerability in the secure networking suite OpenSSH, tracked as CVE-2023-38408, that would enable hackers to remotely execute code using simple commands. Exploiting the vulnerability involves the helper program in OpenSSH called ssh-agent, which stores a user's private keys for frequent, often automated SSH public key authentication. Administrators managing remote servers often enable 'ssh-agent forwarding,' which allows the ssh-agent to be accessed from a specified server so that local SSH keys can be used without storing keys on the server itself. According to Qualys researchers, when a forwarded agent is set up using default settings, with PKCS11 enabled, a threat actor with a connection to the same remote server can load and unload shared libraries on a victim's machine with malicious side effects. Security researchers were able to use this technique for one-shot, Remote Code Execution (RCE) by combining only four side effects of loading and unloading common shared libraries. This article continues to discuss the potential exploitation and impact of the OpenSSH vulnerability. 

ITPro reports "OpenSSH Vulnerability Uncovered by Researchers, RCE Exploit Developed"