CVE-2012-4898 in 3310 Indoor Mesh Router
Summary
by MITRE
Mesh OS before 7.9.1.1 on Tropos wireless mesh routers does not use a sufficient source of entropy for SSH keys, which makes it easier for man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof a device or modify a client-server data stream by leveraging knowledge of a key from a product installation elsewhere.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4898 affects Mesh OS versions prior to 7.9.1.1 on Tropos wireless mesh routers, representing a critical weakness in the cryptographic implementation that undermines the security of secure shell communications. This flaw stems from the use of insufficient entropy sources during the generation of SSH cryptographic keys, creating predictable key material that adversaries can exploit to compromise the integrity and confidentiality of network communications. The vulnerability specifically targets the random number generation process that is fundamental to creating secure cryptographic keys, making it particularly dangerous in network infrastructure devices where authentication and encryption are paramount.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in entropy collection mechanisms within the router's operating system, which directly relates to CWE-330, or the use of insufficiently random values. When routers generate SSH keys with inadequate entropy, they create cryptographic material that can be guessed or reconstructed through statistical analysis and prior knowledge of key generation patterns. This weakness enables attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by predicting or reproducing the cryptographic keys used for authentication, thereby allowing them to establish unauthorized connections to the device or intercept and modify data streams between legitimate clients and the router. The impact extends beyond simple authentication bypass as it fundamentally compromises the cryptographic security model that protects wireless mesh networks from unauthorized access and data manipulation.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe for organizations relying on Tropos wireless mesh routers for network infrastructure, as it creates multiple attack vectors for sophisticated adversaries seeking to compromise network security. Attackers leveraging this weakness can impersonate legitimate devices within the mesh network, potentially gaining access to sensitive network resources and data, or they can modify communications to inject malicious content or redirect traffic. The vulnerability's exploitation becomes more feasible when attackers have knowledge of key generation patterns from other installations, as the predictable nature of the cryptographic keys means that successful compromise of one device can facilitate attacks against others within the same network infrastructure. This characteristic makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple devices may share similar deployment configurations and key generation patterns.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including firmware updates to Mesh OS version 7.9.1.1 or later, which addresses the entropy collection issues in SSH key generation. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as certificate-based authentication, regular key rotation procedures, and monitoring for unauthorized device connections. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential harvesting through network sniffing and T1071.004 for application layer protocol communication indicates that this weakness can be exploited through multiple attack vectors including network reconnaissance and active exploitation phases. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify devices running vulnerable software versions, and organizations should establish processes for maintaining up-to-date firmware across all network infrastructure components to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in future attacks.