CVE-2005-3716 in F1000 Wi-fi Handset
Summary
by MITRE
The SNMP daemon in UTStarcom F1000 VOIP WIFI Phone s2.0 running VxWorks 5.5.1 with kernel WIND 2.6 has hard-coded public credentials that cannot be changed, which allows attackers to obtain sensitive information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3716 represents a critical security flaw in the SNMP daemon implementation of UTStarcom F1000 VOIP WIFI Phone running VxWorks 5.5.1 with kernel WIND 2.6. This device operates in a telecommunications environment where network management and monitoring are essential functions, yet the implementation fails to provide proper authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability falls under the category of weak authentication and hardcoded credentials, which are classified as CWE-798 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The device's SNMP daemon contains hard-coded public credentials that remain unchanged throughout the device's operational lifecycle, creating a persistent security risk that affects all instances of this specific firmware version.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the design decision to embed default SNMP community strings directly into the firmware code during development. These hard-coded credentials typically follow predictable patterns such as "public" or "private" and are accessible to anyone who can establish an SNMP connection to the device. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker can reach the SNMP port, usually UDP port 161, and uses these hardcoded credentials to perform SNMP queries against the device. This allows unauthorized parties to extract sensitive information including device configuration details, system parameters, network settings, and potentially user data through SNMP get requests. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed remotely, making it a prime target for automated scanning and exploitation campaigns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with comprehensive visibility into the device's operational state and configuration. Network administrators lose the ability to effectively monitor and secure their VoIP infrastructure, as the hardcoded credentials essentially provide a backdoor that remains active regardless of network segmentation or other security controls. This vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1082 which describes discovery of system information through network protocols, and T1046 which covers network service scanning. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where VoIP systems interconnect with critical business infrastructure, as attackers can use the gathered information to plan further attacks against the broader network ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-3716 should focus on immediate operational responses and long-term architectural improvements. Organizations should disable SNMP services entirely if they are not actively required for network management, as the presence of hardcoded credentials creates an inherent risk that cannot be resolved through configuration changes alone. When SNMP services must remain active, administrators should implement network segmentation controls to restrict access to SNMP ports, deploy firewall rules to limit access to trusted management stations, and consider implementing network access control lists that restrict which IP addresses can communicate with the device. The fundamental issue requires firmware updates from UTStarcom to address the hardcoded credential problem, though such updates may not be available for devices of this age. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive network audits to identify all instances of affected devices and implement monitoring for unauthorized SNMP access attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper authentication design in embedded systems and highlights the risks associated with legacy firmware that cannot be updated or modified to address known security flaws.