Scanner from HOSTGLOBAL.PLUS (UK) probes 130 URLs for exposed .env files using 12,000+ rotating User-Agents; August 2025 CVE trends
F5 Labs, with Efflux sensor telemetry, profiled a persistent information-disclosure scanner operating from 78.153.140.203 in a netblock of AS202306 (HOSTGLOBAL.PLUS LTD), a UK ISP. The IP was first seen on 10 January 2025, vanished on 10 April, and returned on 11 July 2025. It scans 130 unique URLs: 80.23% are variations of /.env, 11.45% are phpinfo.php variations and the rest target other accidental credential or information disclosure. The scanner rotates more than 12,723 unique User-Agent strings, mostly mimicking browsers. Some contain scraping artifacts such as "More Firefox 1.0 user agents strings -->>", which let F5 link five IPs in August 2025. The report also lists the top exploited CVEs of August 2025, led by CVE-2017-9841 (PHPUnit RCE) with over 47,000 attempts.
Technical Details
- Scanner IPs in August 2025 (same netblock): 78.153.140.151, .177, .179, .203, .223. Activity from this netblock goes back to November 2023.
- 12 of 95 vendors flag 78.153.140.203 as malicious on VirusTotal. AbuseIPDB scores it 100% malicious, mostly for
/.envscanning. - URL set changed over time: a large increase in February 2025, 46 URLs (mostly capitalization variants like
/Upload/.env) removed in March, then more unique URLs after the July return./.aws/credentialswas removed in March and re-added in August. - User-Agents were seen across 44 sensors, mostly used once. Most begin with Mozilla; the shortest is
Opera/9.12 (Windows NT 5.0; U). - Trending CVEs in August 2025: CVE-2017-9841 (PHPUnit RCE), CVE-2023-1389 (TP-Link Archer AX21 command injection), CVE-2019-9082 (ThinkPHP), CVE-2024-4577 (PHP-CGI argument injection), CVE-2022-24847 (GeoServer JNDI). Also in the top 10: CVE-2022-42475, CVE-2022-22947, CVE-2020-8958.
Remediation
- Block web access to sensitive paths such as
.env,phpinfo.phpand.aws/credentials, and enforce good secrets discipline for developers. - Patch and harden the exposed software above (PHPUnit, TP-Link Archer AX21, ThinkPHP, PHP-CGI, GeoServer); replace compromised TP-Link devices.
- Use the distinctive User-Agent artifacts and the netblock for detection and labeling.
6 exploits públicos
Há código de exploração publicado no Exploit-DB para CVE-2024-4577, CVE-2023-1389, CVE-2022-22947 e outros. O código não é reproduzido aqui: o link leva à fonte, e a explicação foi escrita pela IA a partir do arquivo publicado.
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PHP CGI Module 8.3.4 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
This script exploits CVE-2024-4577, an argument injection flaw in PHP running as CGI on Windows, where a soft hyphen in the query string is turned into a dash and lets the attacker pass configuration options to the interpreter. It needs only network access to an exposed php-cgi executable, with no login or user interaction. The options make PHP run code sent in the request body, giving command execution as the web server user. It looks like a working exploit with multi-host scanning and an interactive shell.
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TP-Link Archer AX21 - Unauthenticated Command Injection
This script exploits CVE-2023-1389, a command injection in the web interface of the TP-Link Archer AX21, where the country setting of the locale handler reaches a shell unsanitized. The attacker needs only network reach to the router's web interface, no login, and firmware older than 1.1.4 Build 20230219. Sending the crafted request twice runs commands as root, and here it opens a reverse shell to the attacker. It is a short but working proof of concept that matches the listed CVE.
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Spring Cloud Gateway 3.1.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
The script abuses Spring Cloud Gateway's actuator management interface, which lets a remote user create and refresh routes. It plants a route whose filter value is evaluated as a Spring expression, running an operating system command on the server and returning the output. It needs only network access to an exposed actuator without authentication, on versions before 3.0.7 or 3.1.1 (tested on 3.1.0). It is a working exploit that matches CVE-2022-22947 and cleans up its route afterward.
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PHP Unit 4.8.28 - Remote Code Execution (RCE) (Unauthenticated)
This script exploits CVE-2017-9841: PHPUnit's eval-stdin helper, when left reachable in a web-exposed vendor directory, executes any PHP code sent in an HTTP request body. The attacker needs only network access to a site that deployed PHPUnit (a dev dependency) publicly, with no login or user interaction. The tool checks several common framework layouts with a harmless test, then offers an interactive prompt that runs system commands as the web server user. It is a simple, working exploit that matches the CVE.
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ThinkPHP - Multiple PHP Injection RCEs (Metasploit)
This Metasploit module exploits remote code execution in the ThinkPHP 5.x web framework through the public index page, where a crafted request makes the framework call a PHP function with attacker-chosen input. The attacker needs only network access to the web server, with no login or user interaction, and a ThinkPHP version up to 5.0.23. The module reads the version from an error page and picks one of two techniques, one per CVE. It runs system commands as the web server user and can drop a Linux payload for a remote session. It is a mature, working exploit.
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zzzphp CMS 1.6.1 - Cross-Site Request Forgery
This is a cross-site request forgery proof of concept against the zzzphp CMS 1.6.1 admin panel, in the template file editing function. The admin save form has no anti-CSRF token, so a malicious web page can silently submit a forged edit. The attacker only needs to lure a logged-in administrator to that page; no credentials or local access are required. The forged edit writes a PHP expression into a site template, which the CMS later evaluates, leading to remote code execution. It is a simple, working-looking PoC (unverified), and the author describes it as a follow-up to CVE-2019-9041.
Linha do tempo
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Scanner from HOSTGLOBAL.PLUS (UK) probes 130 URLs for exposed .env files using 12,000+ rotating User-Agents; August 2025 CVE trends
ler a análise desta fonte ocultar
F5 Labs, with Efflux sensor telemetry, profiled a persistent information-disclosure scanner operating from 78.153.140.203 in a netblock of AS202306 (HOSTGLOBAL.PLUS LTD), a UK ISP. The IP was first seen on 10 January 2025, vanished on 10 April, and returned on 11 July 2025. It scans 130 unique URLs: 80.23% are variations of
/.env, 11.45% arephpinfo.phpvariations and the rest target other accidental credential or information disclosure. The scanner rotates more than 12,723 unique User-Agent strings, mostly mimicking browsers. Some contain scraping artifacts such as "More Firefox 1.0 user agents strings -->>", which let F5 link five IPs in August 2025. The report also lists the top exploited CVEs of August 2025, led by CVE-2017-9841 (PHPUnit RCE) with over 47,000 attempts.Technical Details
- Scanner IPs in August 2025 (same netblock): 78.153.140.151, .177, .179, .203, .223. Activity from this netblock goes back to November 2023.
- 12 of 95 vendors flag 78.153.140.203 as malicious on VirusTotal. AbuseIPDB scores it 100% malicious, mostly for
/.envscanning. - URL set changed over time: a large increase in February 2025, 46 URLs (mostly capitalization variants like
/Upload/.env) removed in March, then more unique URLs after the July return./.aws/credentialswas removed in March and re-added in August. - User-Agents were seen across 44 sensors, mostly used once. Most begin with Mozilla; the shortest is
Opera/9.12 (Windows NT 5.0; U). - Trending CVEs in August 2025: CVE-2017-9841 (PHPUnit RCE), CVE-2023-1389 (TP-Link Archer AX21 command injection), CVE-2019-9082 (ThinkPHP), CVE-2024-4577 (PHP-CGI argument injection), CVE-2022-24847 (GeoServer JNDI). Also in the top 10: CVE-2022-42475, CVE-2022-22947, CVE-2020-8958.
Remediation
- Block web access to sensitive paths such as
.env,phpinfo.phpand.aws/credentials, and enforce good secrets discipline for developers. - Patch and harden the exposed software above (PHPUnit, TP-Link Archer AX21, ThinkPHP, PHP-CGI, GeoServer); replace compromised TP-Link devices.
- Use the distinctive User-Agent artifacts and the netblock for detection and labeling.