CVE-2015-7930 in A840 Telemetry Gateway Base Station
Summary
by MITRE
Adcon Telemetry A840 Telemetry Gateway Base Station has hardcoded credentials, which allows remote attackers to obtain administrative access via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2018
The Adcon Telemetry A840 Telemetry Gateway Base Station represents a critical security vulnerability classified as CVE-2015-7930, where hardcoded credentials exist within the device firmware. This flaw fundamentally compromises the device's authentication mechanism by embedding default usernames and passwords directly into the software code, making them不可更改 and permanently accessible to any attacker who can reach the device. The vulnerability falls under CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hardcoded credentials in software, a practice that violates fundamental security principles and creates persistent attack vectors. The device's architecture appears to have been designed without proper credential management protocols, leaving administrators with no recourse to modify these hardcoded values once deployed in operational environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through unspecified network vectors that allow remote attackers to gain administrative access to the telemetry gateway. This remote access capability enables attackers to manipulate device configurations, intercept telemetry data, and potentially compromise the entire network infrastructure that relies on this gateway for communications. The hardcoded credentials provide an immediate path to privilege escalation, bypassing all normal authentication mechanisms and allowing attackers to assume full administrative control over the device. This vulnerability represents a classic example of poor security design where the device's security model is fundamentally flawed from the ground up, as the authentication system cannot be strengthened or modified after deployment. The attack surface extends beyond simple credential theft to include potential lateral movement within network segments that depend on the compromised gateway for connectivity.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-7930 extends far beyond the immediate device compromise, as the telemetry gateway serves as a critical communication hub for industrial monitoring and control systems. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can manipulate real-time data flows, potentially causing operational disruptions, safety hazards, or even physical damage to industrial processes. The remote nature of the attack vector means that these devices can be compromised from anywhere on the internet, making them particularly attractive targets for threat actors. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and availability of industrial control systems, as the compromised gateway can be used to either disrupt communications or inject malicious data into the network. Organizations using such devices face significant risk of operational technology (OT) security breaches, where the attack surface expands to include not just the compromised device but the entire industrial network infrastructure that depends on it.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action to address the hardcoded credential issue, though the nature of the flaw means that complete remediation may require device replacement or firmware updates from the vendor. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit the potential impact of compromise, while continuous monitoring of network traffic can help detect unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security best practices such as those outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO/IEC 27001 standards, which emphasize the need for secure configuration management and regular security assessments. Organizations should also consider implementing zero-trust network architectures that do not rely on implicit trust for devices within their networks, as hardcoded credentials fundamentally undermine trust-based security models. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under credential access techniques, specifically highlighting how hardcoded credentials can be leveraged to establish persistent access to target systems, making it a high-priority issue for security teams to address through both immediate remediation and long-term security architecture improvements.