CVE-2002-1555 in ONS15327
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco ONS15454 and ONS15327 running ONS before 3.4 uses a "public" SNMP community string that cannot be changed, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1555 affects Cisco ONS15454 and ONS15327 optical network switches operating with ONS software versions prior to 3.4. These network devices utilize a hardcoded "public" SNMP community string that remains immutable regardless of administrative configuration attempts. This represents a critical security flaw that fundamentally undermines the network infrastructure's ability to maintain confidentiality and integrity of operational data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the hardcoded SNMP community string within the device firmware, creating a persistent backdoor that remains accessible across all system versions. The flaw directly corresponds to CWE-798, which addresses the use of hardcoded credentials in software implementations, and demonstrates poor security design principles where default configurations are not properly secured. The ONS15454 and ONS15327 switches expose their management interfaces through SNMP protocol, allowing unauthorized parties to perform enumeration and information gathering activities without requiring authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as remote attackers can exploit the fixed community string to extract sensitive operational data including device configurations, network topology information, performance metrics, and system status details. This information disclosure enables attackers to map the network infrastructure, identify potential attack vectors, and plan more sophisticated attacks against the organization's optical network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the CIA triad by compromising confidentiality, as sensitive network information becomes publicly accessible. This weakness allows adversaries to conduct reconnaissance activities that align with ATT&CK technique T1082, which involves discovering information about the target network through system discovery methods.
The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to significant network compromise scenarios where attackers gain insights into the optical network topology, device configurations, and operational parameters. Network administrators lose control over their infrastructure's security posture as the default community string provides unrestricted access to management functions. This vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to escalate privileges, modify network configurations, and potentially disrupt services. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential service disruption and unauthorized access to critical network infrastructure components. Organizations implementing these devices face increased risk of targeted attacks, especially when combined with other network reconnaissance activities that leverage the exposed SNMP information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate administrative action including upgrading affected devices to ONS software version 3.4 or later, where the community string can be properly configured. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit SNMP access to authorized management systems only. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive network audits to identify all affected devices and implement proper monitoring for unauthorized SNMP access attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure default configurations and proper credential management in network infrastructure devices, aligning with security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 standards for network security controls.