Summary
RaspAP raspap-webgui contains an improper privilege management vulnerability in the PluginInstaller::addSudoers function. A remote attacker may be able to manipulate sudo configuration and obtain or use privileges beyond those intended by the application.
Affected context
The vulnerability occurs in RaspAP raspap-webgui deployments using the affected plugin installation and sudo configuration functionality. Risk depends on whether the relevant web-facing functionality is remotely reachable and whether an attacker can influence the inputs processed by PluginInstaller::addSudoers.
Exploit preconditions
- Attack surface: The remotely accessible RaspAP web interface or an exposed endpoint that invokes plugin installation
- Required access: Sufficient access to reach and influence the affected functionality; the precise authentication requirement depends on deployment configuration
- Trigger point: Processing of sudo configuration by
PluginInstaller::addSudoersinsrc/RaspAP/Plugins/PluginInstaller.php - Why exploitation is possible: The application may assign or modify elevated permissions without adequately restricting the resulting privilege scope
Why this happens
The underlying bug is improper privilege management: application-controlled input or actions can affect sudo configuration without enforcing a sufficiently narrow authorization boundary. This behavior maps primarily to CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management and is also related to CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment, because privileges may be granted or configured more broadly than intended.
Potential impact
- An attacker could gain elevated operating-system privileges
- The attacker may execute commands with permissions beyond the application's intended account
- System configuration or network services could be modified
- Sensitive data could be accessed, altered, or removed
- The affected host could be used to access connected systems
General mitigation guidance
Mitigation generally focuses on minimizing application authority and preventing remotely influenced data from controlling sudo policy.
Common defensive patterns include:
- Avoiding runtime generation or modification of sudoers entries where possible
- Using narrowly scoped, explicitly defined privileged operations instead of general command execution
- Enforcing authorization checks before plugin installation and administrative configuration changes
- Validating inputs against strict allowlists for users, commands, paths, and privilege scope
- Running the web application with the least privilege required and separating privileged helpers from the main process
- Requiring administrative approval for changes to privilege policy and protecting sudo configuration from application-writable paths
- Auditing existing sudo rules for excessive permissions and removing unnecessary delegation
How teams detect issues like this
Detection approaches may include:
- Static analysis rules for code that writes sudoers files or invokes privilege-changing operations
- Code review checks for user-controlled values reaching
addSudoers, shell commands, or authorization decisions - Runtime monitoring of changes to sudo configuration and unexpected privileged process creation
- Policy checks that reject web applications with write access to privilege-control files
- Tests verifying that unauthorized users cannot install plugins or alter privileged command definitions
- Automated security review tools that identify privilege-boundary crossings and missing authorization checks
