CVE-2018-18561 in Accu-Chek Inform II
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Roche Accu-Chek Inform II Base Unit / Base Unit Hub before 03.01.04 and CoaguChek / cobas h232 Handheld Base Unit before 03.01.04. Insecure permissions in a service interface may allow authenticated attackers in the adjacent network to execute arbitrary commands on the operating system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2020
This vulnerability affects medical device firmware from Roche Diagnostics, specifically the Accu-Chek Inform II Base Unit and CoaguChek cobas h232 Handheld Base Unit models. The issue stems from insecure permissions within a service interface that operates on devices connected to healthcare networks, creating a critical security gap that could be exploited by authenticated attackers within the adjacent network. The vulnerability exists in firmware versions prior to 03.01.04, indicating that Roche had identified and addressed this weakness in their security updates.
The technical flaw manifests through improper access controls in the service interface implementation, allowing authenticated users who can access the adjacent network to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. This represents a privilege escalation vulnerability where legitimate network access can be leveraged to gain full system control without requiring additional authentication mechanisms. The service interface likely operates with overly permissive file permissions, process execution rights, or API access controls that were not properly secured against unauthorized command execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is particularly severe in healthcare environments where medical devices are connected to hospital networks and may contain sensitive patient data or critical operational controls. An attacker with network access could potentially disrupt medical device operations, access confidential patient information, or manipulate device functions that could directly impact patient safety. The adjacent network access requirement means that attackers need to be physically or logically close to the network infrastructure, but this still represents a significant threat vector in healthcare environments where network segmentation may not be comprehensive. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which describes improper privileges assigned to a service interface, and could be classified under ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and scripting interpreter.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate firmware updates to version 03.01.04 or later, which contain the necessary security patches to address the permission issues. Network administrators should implement strict access controls and segmentation to limit adjacent network access to only authorized personnel. Additional measures include monitoring network traffic for unusual command execution patterns, implementing intrusion detection systems specifically configured to identify unauthorized access attempts to medical device interfaces, and conducting regular security assessments of connected medical equipment. Organizations should also consider implementing network access control lists and multi-factor authentication for administrative access to these critical devices. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper privilege management in embedded systems and the potential consequences of inadequate security controls in healthcare IoT devices that may be connected to critical infrastructure networks.