CVE-2016-8624

## Vulnerability curl versions prior to 7.51.0 fail to correctly parse the authority component of a URL when the host name part ends with a '#' character. For example, the URL http://example.com#@evil.com/x.txt would cause curl to connect to evil.com instead of example.com, while a browser would connect to example.com [4]. This issue affects most protocol schemes and can be exploited remotely without authentication.

Exploitation

An attacker can craft a malicious URL that appears to target a legitimate domain but actually directs curl to a different host. The attacker only needs to trick the victim into using curl with the crafted URL, e.g., via a redirect or by embedding the URL in a page or script. No special network position or authentication is required.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to cause curl to connect to an unintended host, potentially bypassing security checks that rely on domain whitelisting. This could lead to information disclosure, data corruption, or further attacks depending on how curl is used in the application [2][3].

Mitigation

The vulnerability is fixed in curl version 7.51.0 [4]. Red Hat has released updates via RHSA-2018:3558 and RHSA-2018:2486 for affected products [1][2]. Tenable addressed the issue in LCE 4.8.2 [3]. Users should upgrade curl to 7.51.0 or later, or apply the relevant vendor patches.