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New Mirai Variant Targets WebSVN Command Injection Vulnerability (CVE-2021-32305) ![Clock Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-clock.svg) 5 min read Related Products [![Advanced Threat Prevention icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/strata_RGB_logo_Icon_Color.png)Advanced Threat Prevention](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/product-category/advanced-threat-prevention/ "Advanced Threat Prevention")[![Advanced URL Filtering icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/strata_RGB_logo_Icon_Color.png)Advanced URL Filtering](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/product-category/advanced-url-filtering/ "Advanced URL Filtering")[![Advanced WildFire icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/strata_RGB_logo_Icon_Color.png)Advanced WildFire](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/product-category/advanced-wildfire/ "Advanced WildFire")[![Cortex XDR icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/cortex_RGB_logo_Icon_Color.png)Cortex XDR](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/product-category/cortex-xdr/ "Cortex XDR")[![Next-Generation Firewall icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/strata_RGB_logo_Icon_Color.png)Next-Generation Firewall](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/product-category/next-generation-firewall/ "Next-Generation Firewall") * ![Profile Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-profile-grey.svg) By: * [Brock Mammen](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/author/brock-mammen/) * [Haozhe Zhang](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/author/haozhe-zhang/) * ![Published Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-calendar-grey.svg) Published:August 30, 2021 * ![Tags Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-category.svg) Categories: * [Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/) * [Vulnerabilities](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/vulnerabilities/) * ![Tags Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-tags-grey.svg) Tags: * [Botnet](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/botnet/) * [CVE-2021-32305](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2021-32305/) * [DDoS](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/ddos/) * [WebSVN](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/websvn/) * [![Download Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-download.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/cve-2021-32305-websvn/?pdf=download&lg=en&_wpnonce=edee969a51 "Click here to download") * [![Print Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-print.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/cve-2021-32305-websvn/?pdf=print&lg=en&_wpnonce=edee969a51 "Click here to print") Share![Down arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/down-arrow.svg) * ![Link Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-share-link.svg) * [![Link Email](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-sms.svg)]( "Share in email") * [![Facebook Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-fb-share.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Funit42.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fcve-2021-32305-websvn%2F "Share in Facebook") * [![LinkedIn Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-linkedin-share.svg)]( "Share in LinkedIn") * [![Twitter Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-twitter-share.svg)]( "Share in Twitter") * [![Reddit Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-reddit-share.svg)](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com//www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Funit42.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fcve-2021-32305-websvn%2F&ts=markdown "Share in Reddit") * [![Mastodon Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-mastodon-share.svg)]( "Share in Mastodon") ## Executive Summary We have observed exploits in the wild for a recently disclosed command injection vulnerability affecting WebSVN, an open-source web application for browsing source code. The critical command injection vulnerability was discovered and patched in May 2021. A proof of concept was released and within a week, on June 26, 2021, attackers exploited the vulnerability to deploy variants of the Mirai DDoS malware. We strongly recommend that WebSVN users [upgrade](https://github.com/websvnphp/websvn/releases) to the latest software version. Palo Alto Networks [Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/next-generation-firewall) protect customers from the exploitation of [CVE-2021-32305](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-32305), and [Cortex XDR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xdr) detects Mirai variants and prevents infection. ## Root Cause and Patch Analysis of CVE-2021-32305 Like many source code browsing tools, WebSVN allows users to search through the revision history to find relevant code changes. These search requests are made by sending a query to the backend, which is written in PHP. ![The "search" parameter in search.php stores the user's input. A PHP query to the backend handles search requests from users seeking to find relevant code changes in the revision history.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/word-image-55.png) Figure 1. The user's input is read from the "search" parameter in search.php. In versions of WebSVN prior to 2.6.1, the user's search query is not escaped when it is used in a shell command. Inside include/svnlook.php the function getListSearch is responsible for creating the shell command by concatenating the search query with command arguments. ![The getListSearch function inside include/svnlook.php is responsible for creating the shell command by concatenating the search query with command arguments.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/word-image-56.png) Figure 2. The SVN command is created by concatenating it with the search query. A function called runCommand inside include/command.php finally executes the command by passing it to PHP's proc\_open function. The documentation for this function contains the following warning regarding the command parameter: ![](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/word-image-57.png) Figure 3. PHP documentation. Without properly escaping the user's input, it is possible to achieve code execution by including special characters in the search query. To fix this vulnerability, the code was changed to sanitize the user input with escapeshellarg before concatenating it to the other command arguments. ![To fix a vulnerability that made it possible to achieve code execution by including special characters in the search query, the code was changed to sanitize the user input with escapeshellarg before concatenating it to the other command arguments, as shown here.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/word-image-58.png) Figure 4. Vulnerability patch. Another possible solution is to allow proc\_open to automatically escape and quote the command by passing an array of strings as the first argument. This approach might be considered more concise and easier to maintain. However, it would have required making bigger changes to the existing code, and it is not compatible with older versions of PHP, which is likely the reason this solution was not chosen. proc\_open(\['svn', 'list', '-R', '--search', $searchstring, '--xml'\], ...); ^*Figure 5. Hypothetical code for safely running the shell command.*^ ## Exploitation in the Wild Shortly after CVE-2021-32305 was made public, Unit 42 researchers observed attackers exploiting it in the wild. One example of an attack is shown here: ![An example of an attack exploiting CVE-2021-32305. The attacker uses command injection to download a shell script that will infect the system with malware.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/word-image-59.png) Figure 6. HTTP request. The attacker uses command injection to download a shell script that will infect the system with malware. When abusing these types of web vulnerabilities, some important details about the target environment may be unknown to the attacker. These details include the operating system and processor architecture that the web server is running. The shell script used in the next step of the attack shows how the attacker can overcome this issue: ![The shell script shows how an attacker can overcome the issue of not knowing key details about the target environment. Instead of detecting which of 12 different architectures is used in the target environment, the attacker simply takes a brute force approach and attempts to execute binaries for every one of the possible architectures.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/word-image-60.png) Figure 7. Shell script Malicious Linux binaries are provided for 12 different architectures. Instead of detecting which one is correct for the target environment, a brute force approach is taken. The script simply downloads and attempts to execute the binaries for every one of the possible architectures, disregarding any incompatibility errors. Although WebSVN is a cross-platform PHP application capable of running on many operating systems, only Linux binaries are used in this attack. ## Malware Analysis Analysis of this malware reveals that it is used to perform distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and that it shares some of its code with the Mirai botnet family. To reduce the size of the executable files, each one is compressed with a modified version of the popular open-source packer, UPX. Because the packer is modified, it is less likely for reverse engineering tools to succeed in automatically unpacking the executable files, requiring more manual effort for analysis. Additionally, the malware achieves portability by statically linking all of its dependencies and making system calls directly inside the code. After the malware is executed, it continuously tries to connect to its command and control (C2) server on port 666. Once it establishes a connection, it communicates using a custom text-based TCP protocol. It begins by informing the C2 of its architecture, and then it awaits commands from the operator. ![The screenshot shows the main loop for processing C2 commands in a malware sample that is delivered via an exploit of CVE-2021-32305.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/word-image-61.png) Figure 8. Main loop for processing C2 commands. The main purpose of this malware family is to perform DDoS attacks, and the effectiveness of an attack depends on the network protocols and techniques that are used. In the analyzed sample, there are eight types of attacks, each designed to be effective against a different type of target. The following table shows the commands the malware operator can send to initiate each one. |-------------|--------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | **Command** | **Protocol** | **Description** | | OVHHEX | UDP | Targets servers hosted by OVH, a French cloud computing company. | | UDPBYPASS | UDP | Attempts to bypass network mitigations by sending crafted packets at calculated time intervals. | | NFOHEX | UDP | Floods the target with randomly generated hex-encoded data. | | STD | UDP | Randomly sends packets from a list of three predefined payloads. | | VSE | UDP | Targets game servers built with Valve Source Engine. | | TCP | TCP | General attack for TCP-based protocols. | | SYN | TCP | Sends SYN packets to imitate a TCP connection request. | | ACK | TCP | Sends ACK packets to imitate acknowledgement messages. | ^*Table 1. DDoS methods.*^ ## Conclusion We observed exploits in the wild for a recently disclosed command injection vulnerability affecting WebSVN. In one particular attack, the vulnerability is used to deploy DDoS malware. Attackers will continue to exploit the latest vulnerabilities to expand their army of infected devices and increase the strength of their DDoS attacks. Customers are strongly advised to [upgrade](https://github.com/websvnphp/websvn/releases) to the latest software version. Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall customers are protected by the subscriptions: * [Threat Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/secure-the-network/subscriptions/threat-prevention) can block the attack with [best practices](https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/best-practices/10-1/internet-gateway-best-practices/best-practice-internet-gateway-security-policy/create-best-practice-security-profiles.html) via Threat Prevention Signature [91280](https://threatvault.paloaltonetworks.com/?query=91280). * [WildFire](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/secure-the-network/wildfire) accurately detects and blocks these attacks. * [Advanced URL Filtering](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-url-filtering) blocks malicious malware domains. Cortex XDR detects Mirai variants and prevents infection. ### Indicators of Compromise 75\.119.143\[.\]229 e6f20e73af6cc393dd139b32117a8681e15edfe61c157f3509d1e740184b3d5c c782f9cdec637503472bc62d25348cefccc3de58244441547f3e2ed9b22c6c93 63c2cae1f3d04d81a4a1dcd773c62d7e9a71cf7e3ae0c5a9f931353e86f11651 3cc3d7d32e8c85e0c594ca5cb2ecfbfba66ebbc1853bcb02c2a39fce9f238dbc dc7cf2212f09482ac034eb7e9f89ef0cec8bc9532d4fe2db8a880c2e1e4ee8a2 8cc43db17480170fac3213518fe18d52a5648ce04060561d6359d6c589a4321c b09c85e75f65a9acc4693957caf4b4c56dd808c7d0d657c1bc9f74a1bd772abe a55a2318e95dcfbe2d2082ee569642034ab05168fa0142ff1009798131b61f52 b43fd19dfeeb89507f9de162e7a727fa6024ca4b1d19cb5c44e53755200f2b66 7dc972346b9f82709bbcaabc30f126984468e60f2b085091471a9796ac4539b9 f4d851908e900d9201597f898cbb4420772a935901f25a77b31fc80e7cbc88b3 889cc2a3e06c5770ff23017aa067cd8a01b8b410e143e9da63542ead7ce484da ### Additional Resources [Unit 42 research on Mirai](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/mirai/) Back to top ### Tags * [Botnet](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/botnet/ "botnet") * [CVE-2021-32305](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2021-32305/ "CVE-2021-32305") * [DDoS](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/ddos/ "DDoS") * [WebSVN](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/websvn/ "WebSVN") [Threat Research Center](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com "Threat Research") [Next: Worldwide Phishing Attacks Ramped Up at the Peak of Working From Home](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/phishing-attacks/ "Worldwide Phishing Attacks Ramped Up at the Peak of Working From Home") ### Table of Contents * ### Related Articles * [A Deep Dive Into Attempted Exploitation of CVE-2023-33538](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/exploitation-of-cve-2023-33538/ "article - table of contents") * [Resurgence of the Prometei Botnet](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/prometei-botnet-2025-activity/ "article - table of contents") * [Diving Into Glupteba's UEFI Bootkit](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/glupteba-malware-uefi-bootkit/ "article - table of contents") ## Related Vulnerabilities Resources ![Pictorial representation of a group of people interacting with a dynamic 3D holographic display of colorful, undulating data waves on a table.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/11_Myth-Busting_Overview_1920x900-786x368.jpg) [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Insights-icon-white.svg)Insights](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/insights/) August 4, 2026 [#### The Frontier AI Vulnerability Burst: Industrializing Autonomous Zero-Day Discovery in Open-Source Software](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/frontier-ai-vulnerability-burst/) * [AI](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/ai/ "AI") * [Frontier AI](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/frontier-ai/ "Frontier AI") * [Vulnerability Exploitation](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/vulnerability-exploitation/ "Vulnerability Exploitation") [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/frontier-ai-vulnerability-burst/ "The Frontier AI Vulnerability Burst: Industrializing Autonomous Zero-Day Discovery in Open-Source Software") ![Pictorial representation of AI-enabled autonomous cyberattacks. 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Abstract image of a glowing red Wi-Fi symbol on a circuit board, with intricate patterns and a futuristic appearance.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/04_Vulnerabilities_1920x900-786x368.jpg) [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/icon-threat-research.svg)Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/) April 16, 2026 [#### A Deep Dive Into Attempted Exploitation of CVE-2023-33538](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/exploitation-of-cve-2023-33538/) * [Botnet](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/botnet/ "botnet") * [Command injection](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/command-injection/ "Command injection") * [CVE-2023-33538](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2023-33538/ "CVE-2023-33538") [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/exploitation-of-cve-2023-33538/ "A Deep Dive Into Attempted Exploitation of CVE-2023-33538") ![Pictorial representation of BeyondTrust vulnerability CVE-2026-1731. Digital art depicting a stylized mountain range with vibrant blue and red hues. The peaks are accentuated by glowing particles and an abstract, starry backdrop, creating a futuristic landscape.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/14_Overview_1920x900-786x368.jpg) [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/top-threats.svg)High Profile Threats](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/top-cyberthreats/) February 19, 2026 [#### VShell and SparkRAT Observed in Exploitation of BeyondTrust Critical Vulnerability (CVE-2026-1731)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/beyondtrust-cve-2026-1731/) * [Bash](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/bash/ "bash") * [CVE-2026-1731](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-1731/ "CVE-2026-1731") * [PowerShell](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/powershell/ "PowerShell") [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/beyondtrust-cve-2026-1731/ "VShell and SparkRAT Observed in Exploitation of BeyondTrust Critical Vulnerability (CVE-2026-1731)") ![](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AdobeStock_1020436911-786x440.jpeg) [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/top-threats.svg)High Profile Threats](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/top-cyberthreats/) February 17, 2026 [#### Critical Vulnerabilities in Ivanti EPMM Exploited](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/ivanti-cve-2026-1281-cve-2026-1340/) * [CVE-2026-1281](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-1281/ "CVE-2026-1281") * [CVE-2026-1340](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-1340/ "CVE-2026-1340") * [Ivanti](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/ivanti/ "Ivanti") [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/ivanti-cve-2026-1281-cve-2026-1340/ "Critical Vulnerabilities in Ivanti EPMM Exploited") ![Pictorial representation of CVE-2025-0921. Digital illustration of a map of North America with interconnected glowing lines and dots symbolizing network connections across the continent.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/06_Vulnerabilities_1920x900-2-1-786x368.jpg) [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/icon-threat-research.svg)Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/) January 30, 2026 [#### Privileged File System Vulnerability Present in a SCADA System](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/iconics-suite-cve-2025-0921/) * [CVE-2025-0921](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2025-0921/ "CVE-2025-0921") * [Privilege escalation](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/privilege-escalation/ "privilege escalation") * [SCADA](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/scada/ "SCADA") [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/iconics-suite-cve-2025-0921/ "Privileged File System Vulnerability Present in a SCADA System") * ![Slider arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/slider-arrow-left.svg) * ![Slider arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/slider-arrow-left.svg) ![Close button](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/close-modal.svg) ![Enlarged Image]() ![Newsletter](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/unit42-footer-subscribe-desktop.png) ![UNIT 42 Small Logo](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/palo-alto-logo-small.svg) Get updates from Unit 42 ## Peace of mind comes from staying ahead of threats. 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