CVE-2017-14002 in Infinia Hawkeye
Summary
by MITRE
GE Infinia/Infinia with Hawkeye 4 medical imaging systems all current versions are affected these devices use default or hard-coded credentials. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may allow a remote attacker to bypass authentication and gain access to the affected devices.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14002 affects GE Infinia and Infinia with Hawkeye 4 medical imaging systems across all current versions, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that compromises the security posture of healthcare infrastructure. This vulnerability stems from the implementation of default or hard-coded credentials within the medical imaging devices, which creates a persistent security weakness that persists across software updates and system deployments. The affected systems utilize hardcoded authentication credentials that are not properly secured or randomized during installation, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by unauthorized actors who can leverage these predetermined credentials to gain unauthorized access to critical medical imaging equipment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials in software implementations, and represents a fundamental flaw in the authentication mechanism design of these medical devices. The flaw operates at the authentication layer where default credentials such as username/password combinations are embedded within the device firmware or configuration files, making them discoverable through various reconnaissance techniques including network scanning, device enumeration, and security testing tools. Attackers can exploit this weakness by simply knowing or discovering the default credential values, bypassing any additional authentication mechanisms that may be present on the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it represents a significant risk to patient data security and healthcare system integrity. Medical imaging systems contain sensitive patient information, including diagnostic images, patient records, and clinical data that must remain protected under healthcare regulations such as HIPAA. Successful exploitation allows attackers to gain full administrative access to the imaging systems, potentially enabling them to modify patient records, manipulate diagnostic data, or even disrupt critical medical workflows. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for healthcare organizations that may not have adequate network segmentation or monitoring in place to detect such unauthorized access attempts.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including changing default credentials to strong, unique passwords for all administrative accounts, disabling unused services and ports, and implementing network segmentation to isolate medical imaging systems from general network traffic. The remediation process should also involve conducting comprehensive security assessments to identify all instances of the vulnerable systems and ensuring that proper access controls are implemented using principles of least privilege. Additionally, healthcare organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual authentication patterns or unauthorized access attempts to these critical medical devices. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security best practices in healthcare technology deployment, including the requirement for secure default configurations and proper credential management as outlined in various cybersecurity frameworks and standards including those referenced in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the credential access tactics and techniques.