CVE-2018-10285 in iPECS NMS
Summary
by MITRE
The Ericsson-LG iPECS NMS A.1Ac web application uses incorrect access control mechanisms. Since the app does not use any sort of session ID, an attacker might bypass authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2025
The CVE-2018-10285 vulnerability affects the Ericsson-LG iPECS NMS A.1Ac web application, which is a network management system designed for telecommunications infrastructure. This system serves as a critical interface for managing and monitoring communication networks, making it a potentially attractive target for malicious actors seeking unauthorized access to network resources. The vulnerability stems from fundamental flaws in the application's authentication and session management architecture, creating a significant security risk that could compromise the entire network management infrastructure.
The technical flaw in this vulnerability resides in the application's complete absence of proper session management mechanisms. Without implementing session IDs or any form of session tracking, the web application fails to maintain state information about authenticated users. This design decision effectively eliminates any means of distinguishing between legitimate users and unauthorized attackers attempting to access the system. The lack of session management creates a direct path for attackers to bypass authentication entirely, as there are no session tokens or identifiers to validate user credentials or maintain authenticated sessions. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-613, which specifically addresses insufficient session expiration, though in this case the issue is more fundamental as no session management exists at all.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial and multifaceted across multiple security domains. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability gains full administrative access to the iPECS NMS system, enabling them to perform privileged operations such as modifying network configurations, accessing sensitive data, monitoring communications, and potentially disrupting network services. The implications extend beyond simple unauthorized access, as this vulnerability could enable attackers to establish persistent access points within the network infrastructure, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where these systems manage critical communication networks. The vulnerability also falls under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts, as attackers can leverage the lack of authentication mechanisms to assume legitimate administrative roles without detection. This weakness particularly impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the network management system and the underlying network infrastructure it controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-10285 require immediate implementation of proper session management mechanisms within the iPECS NMS application. Organizations should implement robust session ID generation and validation processes that include random token creation, secure storage of session identifiers, and proper session expiration policies. The system should enforce strong session management controls that track user authentication status and prevent session hijacking attacks. Security patches or updates from Ericsson-LG should be applied immediately to address this vulnerability, as the company would have released fixes to implement proper authentication mechanisms. Network segmentation and additional access controls should be implemented to limit the blast radius of potential exploitation, while monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns that might indicate unauthorized attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms and regular security assessments to identify similar weaknesses in their network management systems, ensuring compliance with security standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001 requirements for access control and session management.