CyberDudeBivash Vulnerability Analysis Report FOG Project: Critical Authentication Bypass Vulnerability | Date: September 2025 | By CyberDudeBivash | Founder: Bivash Kumar Nayak

 

Executive Summary

The FOG Project, a widely used open-source computer imaging and cloning solution for enterprise IT teams and educational institutions, has been found to contain a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in its older versions.

This flaw could allow a remote attacker to perform an unauthenticated database dump, exposing all stored credentials. Once compromised, adversaries can leverage these credentials for lateral movement, privilege escalation, and complete environment takeover.

CyberDudeBivash analysis highlights that this CVE represents a high-priority threat to educational institutions, SMBs, and corporate IT networks that depend on FOG for centralized OS deployments.

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 Technical Details

• Vulnerability Type: Authentication Bypass → Unauthenticated Database Dump

• Component Affected: FOG Project Web Management Interface

• Exploitation Vector: Remote (Unauthenticated)

• Impact: Database exfiltration → Password hashes, usernames, system configs.

• Risk Level: Critical (CVSS Score ~9.5)

Attack Pathway:

1. Attacker sends crafted request to the FOG web interface.

2. Weak input validation bypasses authentication layer.

3. Backend database queries are executed without authorization.

4. Dump of credentials and sensitive configuration data is retrieved.

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 Threat Landscape

• Who is at risk?

  • Schools, colleges, and universities using FOG for lab and library systems.

  • SMBs leveraging FOG for centralized OS deployment.

  • MSPs and IT service providers with multi-tenant FOG environments.

• Potential Exploits:

  • Ransomware gangs (database dump → credentials → domain compromise).

  • State-backed APT groups seeking supply-chain entry points.

  • Script kiddies leveraging PoCs from GitHub and exploit forums.

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 Business Impact

1. Data Breach Costs: Average $4.45M in 2025 (IBM report).

2. Credential Reuse Attacks: Compromised accounts reused across multiple systems.

3. Reputation Damage: Educational institutions & SMBs lose trust.

4. Regulatory Penalties: GDPR, FERPA, HIPAA non-compliance due to data leakage.

Enterprise Breach Protection Services (Affiliate Link)

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 Mitigation Strategy

1. Patch Immediately → Upgrade to latest secure version of FOG.

2. Restrict Access → Limit FOG web UI to internal management networks.

3. Enable Database Hardening → Enforce least privilege and secure backups.

4. Deploy MFA → Even for internal management systems.

5. Monitor Logs → Look for suspicious queries and mass DB export activity.

Recommended SIEM/XDR Platforms (Affiliate Link)

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 CyberDudeBivash Threat Simulation

We recreated attack scenarios in our Threat Analyzer Lab:

• Attackers could pivot from stolen FOG credentials into Active Directory domains.

• Escalation to Windows Deployment Services could compromise the entire enterprise patching pipeline.

• Cloud-based FOG deployments exposed via public IPs were most at risk.

 Our CyberDudeBivash Threat Analyzer App now includes a scanner module for detecting vulnerable FOG versions.

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 CyberDudeBivash Recommendations

• For SMBs: Deploy managed endpoint protection and outsource vulnerability scanning.

• For Enterprises: Integrate CVE monitoring with automated patching pipelines.

• For Schools & Colleges: Replace outdated FOG builds and enable network segmentation to isolate imaging servers.

Top Patch Automation Solutions (Affiliate Link)

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