CVE-2009-20011 ContentKeeper Web Appliance < 125.10 RCE via mimencode
Unauthenticated attackers can execute arbitrary commands and potentially gain root access via insecure file uploads and PATH abuse in ContentKeeper Web Appliances.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2009-20011?
CVE-2009-20011 is a critical command injection vulnerability in ContentKeeper Web Appliance, published on 30 Aug 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
ContentKeeper Web Appliance (now maintained by Impero Software) versions prior to 125.10 are vulnerable to remote command execution due to insecure handling of file uploads via the mimencode CGI utility. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to upload and execute arbitrary scripts as the Apache user. Additionally, the exploit can optionally escalate privileges by abusing insecure PATH usage in the benetool binary, resulting in root-level access if successful.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2009-20011?
How do I fix CVE-2009-20011?
No fix has been published for CVE-2009-20011 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.
Is CVE-2009-20011 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2009-20011 exists.
Public exploit code: 1 Metasploit module.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-w8w9-prcc-w4vw.