CVE-2015-3974 in EasyIO-30P-SF
Summary
by MITRE
EasyIO EasyIO-30P-SF controllers with firmware before 0.5.21 and 2.x before 2.0.5.21, as used in Accutrol, Bar-Tech Automation, Infocon/EasyIO, Honeywell Automation India, Johnson Controls, SyxthSENSE, Transformative Wave Technologies, Tridium Asia Pacific, and Tridium Europe products, have a hardcoded password, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/02/2018
The CVE-2015-3974 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in industrial control systems manufactured by EasyIO and deployed across multiple industrial automation vendors including Accutrol, Honeywell, and Johnson Controls. This vulnerability specifically affects EasyIO-30P-SF controllers running firmware versions prior to 0.5.21 and 2.x versions before 2.0.5.21, creating a persistent backdoor access mechanism that significantly weakens the security posture of these industrial environments. The flaw stems from the inclusion of a hardcoded password within the device firmware, a design decision that violates fundamental security principles and creates an inherent trust relationship that cannot be easily modified or secured.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the embedding of a static authentication credential directly into the controller firmware image, making it impossible for system administrators to change or remove the password through normal operational procedures. This hardcoded credential exists in the device's memory regardless of configuration changes or system updates, creating a persistent access vector that remains active across device reboots and firmware installations. The vulnerability manifests as a weak authentication mechanism that allows remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to the controller's management interface, potentially enabling full system compromise and operational disruption.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for industrial control systems that rely on these controllers for critical infrastructure operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain administrative access to the controllers, potentially leading to unauthorized configuration changes, data manipulation, or complete system compromise. The unspecified attack vectors suggest that the vulnerability may be exploitable through multiple network interfaces or protocols, increasing the potential attack surface and making it more difficult for organizations to defend against such threats. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and availability of industrial processes, as unauthorized access could lead to production disruptions, safety hazards, or data breaches that compromise operational continuity.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation strategies including firmware updates to the latest available versions that address the hardcoded password issue, network segmentation to isolate these devices from critical operational networks, and implementation of network monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hardcoded credentials in software, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege that should be applied to all industrial control systems. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation, with the hardcoded password providing an initial foothold that could enable further exploitation of the industrial network infrastructure. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all affected devices and implement continuous monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the nature of hardcoded credentials makes them particularly difficult to remediate without complete device replacement or firmware updates.