A critical vulnerability has been discovered in NASA's open-source AMMOS Instrument Toolkit (AIT)-GUI ground software, which could allow unauthenticated attackers to issue commands to spacecraft and instruments, execute server-side scripts, and run command sequences. The flaw, identified as GHSA-p9r8-2q67-fp86, carries a CVSS rating of 9.4 and affects AIT-GUI versions up to and including 2.5.1. No CVE identifier has been assigned at the time of reporting.
The vulnerability was disclosed by Cycode researcher Yuval Elbar on August 18, and a fix has since been implemented in AIT-GUI version 2.5.2. AIT-GUI serves as the browser-based operator console for NASA's AMMOS Instrument Toolkit, an open-source framework designed for ground data systems that facilitate communication with spacecraft and their instruments.
The core of the issue stems from several security weaknesses. The AIT-GUI web server initiates on all network interfaces, disregarding its configured host setting. Furthermore, its API lacks authentication, authorization, and cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection for endpoints that modify system state. Specifically, the `/cmd` route can relay commands to the command bus, while the `/script/run` and `/seq` endpoints are capable of executing scripts and command sequences.
The `/script/run` and `/seq` endpoints also construct filesystem paths using user-controlled input without adequate confinement, which could permit the execution of files located outside of their intended directories. This combination of vulnerabilities is particularly significant because these web functions directly interface with command infrastructure.
The attack does not necessarily require direct network access to the AIT-GUI server. Because the state-changing routes accept browser-compatible form submissions without CSRF protection, a malicious website visited by an operator could send requests to the service. Cycode demonstrated that an operator accessing a host-local or firewalled deployment could be targeted through their browser, with cross-origin requests delivered without a CORS preflight.
The project's recommendations for mitigation include implementing authentication and authorization for state-changing endpoints, adding CSRF protection, binding the server to its configured host, and enforcing path confinement for the affected routes.
