CVE-2001-1223 in Lancom Office
Summary
by MITRE
The web administration server for ELSA Lancom 1100 Office does not require authentication, which allows arbitrary remote attackers to gain administrative privileges by connecting to the server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-1223 represents a critical security flaw in the ELSA Lancom 1100 Office web administration server implementation. This issue stems from a fundamental design oversight where the system fails to enforce any form of authentication mechanism for its administrative interface. The absence of authentication requirements creates an exploitable condition that allows any remote attacker to establish connections to the administrative server and immediately assume full administrative privileges without presenting any credentials or authorization tokens. This configuration fundamentally violates core security principles and represents a severe misconfiguration that exposes the entire network infrastructure to unauthorized access and control.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control mechanisms where systems fail to properly enforce authorization requirements. The flaw manifests as an authentication bypass vulnerability that operates at the network level, allowing attackers to connect directly to the administrative server ports and gain complete control over the device's configuration and operational parameters. This vulnerability exists because the web administration server was designed without implementing any authentication protocols, including basic HTTP authentication, token-based systems, or certificate-based verification mechanisms. The lack of authentication enforcement creates a direct pathway for malicious actors to manipulate network settings, modify configurations, and potentially establish persistent access points within the network environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2001-1223 extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the ELSA Lancom 1100 Office device. This level of access enables adversaries to modify network configurations, disable security features, install malicious software, and potentially use the device as a pivot point for attacking other systems within the network. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access to the device or network credentials to compromise it, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network devices are often exposed to external threats. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts usage and T1046 for network service scanning, as attackers can easily identify and exploit this unauthenticated administrative interface.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must focus on immediate remediation through proper authentication implementation and network segmentation. Organizations should implement network access controls that restrict direct access to administrative interfaces, deploy firewalls that block unauthorized connections to administrative ports, and ensure that all network devices enforce strong authentication mechanisms. The most effective immediate solution involves configuring the device to require authentication before granting administrative access, which aligns with security frameworks such as NIST SP 800-53 controls for access control and configuration management. Additionally, implementing network monitoring and intrusion detection systems can help identify unauthorized access attempts to administrative interfaces, while regular security audits should verify that authentication mechanisms remain properly configured and that no unauthorized administrative access has occurred. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing defense-in-depth strategies and proper access control mechanisms as outlined in various cybersecurity frameworks including ISO 27001 and the CIS Controls.