CVE-2015-2874 in Storage
Summary
by MITRE
Seagate GoFlex Satellite, Seagate Wireless Mobile Storage, Seagate Wireless Plus Mobile Storage, and LaCie FUEL devices with firmware before 3.4.1.105 have a default password of root for the root account, which allows remote attackers to obtain administrative access via a TELNET session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2874 affects several network-attached storage devices including Seagate GoFlex Satellite, Seagate Wireless Mobile Storage, Seagate Wireless Plus Mobile Storage, and LaCie FUEL models. These devices ship with a hardcoded default password for the root administrative account, specifically using "root" as both the username and password. This weakness represents a critical security flaw that directly violates fundamental principles of secure system design and authentication mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from poor credential management practices within the device firmware. The default configuration leaves the TELNET service enabled with hardcoded credentials that never change regardless of device deployment or user configuration. This creates an unauthenticated attack surface where remote adversaries can establish administrative sessions simply by connecting to the TELNET port and providing the default root credentials. The vulnerability operates at the network level and requires no prior authentication or exploitation of other vulnerabilities to gain administrative control.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables complete compromise of affected devices, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands, modify device configurations, access stored data, and potentially use the compromised device as a pivot point for attacking other systems on the network. The implications extend beyond simple unauthorized access as these devices often serve as storage repositories for sensitive information, making them attractive targets for data exfiltration and lateral movement within corporate environments. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials, and represents a classic example of poor security by design.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is straightforward and highly effective, requiring only network connectivity to the affected devices and knowledge of the default TELNET credentials. According to ATT&CK framework, this scenario maps to T1075 (Pass the Hash) and T1021.001 (Remote Services: TELNET) tactics, demonstrating how default credentials can be exploited to establish persistent access. Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including disabling unused services such as TELNET, changing default passwords to strong, unique credentials, and applying firmware updates to version 3.4.1.105 or later. Network segmentation and monitoring for TELNET connections can also help detect exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper credential management and the dangers of shipping devices with default administrative accounts that remain unchanged after deployment.