CVE-2018-18202 in 4Gb Fibre Channel
Summary
by MITRE
The QLogic 4Gb Fibre Channel 5.5.2.6.0 and 4/8Gb SAN 7.10.1.20.0 modules for IBM BladeCenter have an undocumented support account with a support password, an undocumented diags account with a diags password, and an undocumented prom account with a prom password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2018-18202 represents a critical security flaw within the QLogic Fibre Channel modules deployed in IBM BladeCenter environments. This issue involves the presence of three undocumented administrative accounts with hardcoded passwords that persist across multiple firmware versions including 5.5.2.6.0 and 7.10.1.20.0. These accounts operate outside the normal authentication mechanisms and provide unauthorized access paths to the underlying storage infrastructure. The existence of such accounts without proper documentation or oversight creates a significant attack surface that could be exploited by malicious actors with knowledge of these credentials. The vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and proper access control, as these accounts likely possess elevated privileges necessary for system administration and configuration changes. This weakness is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where blade center systems manage critical storage networks and data flows.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the insecure configuration practices within the QLogic firmware design. These undocumented accounts with hardcoded passwords represent a classic example of hard-coded credentials that persist across software updates and system deployments. The presence of support, diags, and prom accounts suggests that the vendor may have implemented these for legitimate maintenance purposes but failed to properly secure or document them. The passwords associated with these accounts appear to be static and potentially well-known within the vendor community, making them easily exploitable by threat actors who may have access to vendor documentation or through social engineering techniques. This flaw creates persistent backdoor access points that remain active regardless of standard security policies or user access controls. The vulnerability manifests as an unauthorized access vector that bypasses normal authentication procedures and can potentially allow full administrative control over the Fibre Channel modules.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential data breaches, system compromise, and disruption of critical storage operations. Attackers who discover these undocumented accounts could gain complete control over the Fibre Channel infrastructure, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system corruption, or denial of service conditions. The implications are particularly severe in data center environments where blade center systems manage high-value storage networks and where unauthorized access could result in significant financial and operational losses. The vulnerability also compromises the integrity of the security posture by creating persistent access points that may not be detected through standard security audits or penetration testing procedures. Organizations using these modules face the risk of insider threats as well, since the accounts may be accessible to individuals who should not have administrative privileges. This weakness undermines the trust model of the storage infrastructure and could lead to cascading security failures throughout the network.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action to address the hardcoded credentials and implement proper access control measures. Organizations should first identify and disable all undocumented accounts through firmware updates or manual configuration changes when possible. The most effective approach involves applying the latest firmware patches from QLogic that address these security weaknesses and remove the hardcoded accounts. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect unauthorized access attempts to these accounts, using intrusion detection systems and security information event management tools. Access controls should be reviewed and enforced to ensure that only authorized personnel have legitimate need for administrative access, with proper audit trails maintained for all privileged activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials, and represents a clear violation of NIST SP 800-53 security controls related to access control and system configuration. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation, potentially enabling lateral movement within storage networks and access to sensitive data repositories. Organizations should also implement comprehensive security awareness training to prevent social engineering attacks that might target personnel with knowledge of these undocumented accounts.