Why Shellshock Remains a Cybersecurity Threat After 9 Years

The Shellshock vulnerability got a lot of attention when it was first disclosed in 2014 — both from the media and security teams. While that attention has waned in subsequent years, the Shellshock vulnerability has not disappeared — nor has attacker attention weakened.

Rather, this vulnerability remains a popular target, particularly in financial services applications. In fact, earlier this year, ThreatX identified attackers attempting to exploit a Shellshock vulnerability in approximately one-third of our customers. These numbers are concerning when considering the severity and age of this vulnerability. How could a vulnerability disclosed nine years ago still be so prevalent in attacks? And why do so many credit unions fall victim?

What Is Shellshock and Why Does It Still Exist?

Shellshock, also known as the Bash bug or CVE-2014-6271, is a vulnerability that researchers discovered in September 2014 in the Unix Bash shell. Deemed a critical vulnerability due to the escalated privileges it provides attackers if exploited, Shellshock existed on billions of devices around the world and caused widespread panic and countless patches in 2014. The panic has subsided, but the vulnerability hasn’t exactly gone away. It still exists in the wild and remains popular because it is relatively simple to launch and deploy and requires little skill or cost from an attacker.

So why does it still exist nearly 10 years later? Three words: bad patch management. Failure to apply patches in a timely manner can leave organizations vulnerable to attacks that exploit known vulnerabilities. The Shellshock vulnerability is a prime example of the consequences of not applying patches promptly. Many organizations are slow to apply the necessary updates, leaving their systems open to attack.

One reason organizations are struggling with patch management is because the process can be complex and time-consuming, especially in large or distributed environments. There may also be concerns about the potential impact of applying patches, such as downtime or compatibility issues with other software. Additionally, some organizations may not have the necessary resources or expertise to effectively manage patching across…