CVE-2017-8155 in B2338-168
Summary
by MITRE
The outdoor unit of Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) product B2338-168 V100R001C00 has a no authentication vulnerability on a certain port. After accessing the network between the indoor and outdoor units of the CPE, an attacker can deliver commands to the specific port of the outdoor unit and execute them without authentication. Successful exploit could allow the attacker to take control over the outdoor unit.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8155 represents a critical security flaw in the Customer Premise Equipment product B2338-168 V100R001C00, specifically affecting the communication between indoor and outdoor units within the network infrastructure. This issue falls under the category of authentication bypass vulnerabilities, where the system fails to properly verify the identity of entities attempting to access sensitive operational interfaces. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it exists within the outdoor unit of the CPE, which typically operates in unsecured environments and may be accessible to unauthorized individuals. The lack of authentication mechanisms on a specific port within the outdoor unit creates an attack surface that adversaries can exploit to gain unauthorized access to critical network components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate security controls within the communication protocol between the indoor and outdoor units of the CPE system. The flaw allows attackers to directly interface with a designated port on the outdoor unit without requiring any form of authentication or authorization verification. This authentication bypass enables remote command execution capabilities, where malicious actors can transmit arbitrary commands through the vulnerable port and have them executed with full privileges on the target outdoor unit. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that the outdoor unit often serves as a critical component in network operations, potentially controlling access points, managing network connectivity, or performing essential routing functions within the infrastructure.
The operational consequences of successfully exploiting CVE-2017-8155 extend beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass complete system compromise and potential network disruption. Attackers who gain control over the outdoor unit can manipulate network configurations, potentially creating backdoors for future access, redirecting network traffic, or disabling critical connectivity features. This vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles outlined in the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) catalog, specifically relating to CWE-305: Authentication Bypass Using Multiple Authentication Factors and CWE-287: Improper Handling of Authentication Factors, as the system fails to properly authenticate entities attempting to access privileged functions. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise and industrial network environments where CPE systems are deployed for critical infrastructure operations.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the initial access and execution phases, where attackers can leverage unauthenticated network ports to establish persistent access and execute malicious commands. The attack vector is particularly effective because it requires minimal reconnaissance and can be automated, making it attractive to both opportunistic attackers and sophisticated threat actors. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate the vulnerable CPE components, firewall rules to restrict access to the specific port, and firmware updates provided by the vendor to address the authentication gap. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar unauthenticated interfaces within the broader network infrastructure, as this vulnerability represents a pattern that may exist in other network equipment components.