CVE-2018-4846 in RAPIDLab 1200
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability has been identified in RAPIDLab 1200 systems / RAPIDPoint 400 systems / RAPIDPoint 500 systems (All versions_without_ use of Siemens Healthineers Informatics products), RAPIDLab 1200 Series (All versions < V3.3 _with_ Siemens Healthineers Informatics products), RAPIDPoint 500 systems (All versions >= V3.0 _with_ Siemens Healthineers Informatics products), RAPIDPoint 500 systems (V2.4.X_with_ Siemens Healthineers Informatics products), RAPIDPoint 500 systems (All versions =< V2.3 _with_ Siemens Healthineers Informatics products), RAPIDPoint 400 systems (All versions _with_ Siemens Healthineers Informatics products). A factory account with hardcoded password might allow attackers access to the device over port 5900/tcp. Successful exploitation requires no user interaction or privileges and impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected device. At the time of advisory publication, no public exploitation of this security vulnerability is known. Siemens Healthineers confirms the security vulnerability and provides mitigations to resolve the security issue.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2023
This vulnerability affects Siemens Healthineers RAPIDLab and RAPIDPoint laboratory automation systems across multiple product lines and software versions. The flaw resides in the implementation of factory accounts with hardcoded passwords that persist across various system configurations, creating a persistent backdoor access vector for unauthorized parties. The vulnerability specifically impacts devices listening on TCP port 5900, which typically serves as the default port for VNC (Virtual Network Computing) remote desktop protocol implementations. This hardcoded credential mechanism represents a fundamental security misconfiguration that violates the principle of least privilege and proper access control implementation. The vulnerability has been classified under CWE-798, which addresses the use of hardcoded credentials, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.1.1 for valid accounts, as it provides unauthorized access through legitimate administrative credentials.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires no user interaction or elevated privileges, making it particularly dangerous in healthcare environments where such systems often operate with minimal network segmentation. Attackers can directly connect to the affected systems through port 5900 and gain administrative access using the hardcoded credentials, potentially enabling full system compromise. This remote access capability allows adversaries to manipulate laboratory results, alter system configurations, and potentially disrupt critical medical testing operations. The impact spans all three pillars of the CIA triad: confidentiality is compromised as attackers can access sensitive patient data and test results, integrity is threatened through unauthorized modifications to system configurations or test data, and availability is at risk as attackers could potentially cause system downtime or denial of service conditions. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of the software and hardware platforms, indicating a widespread issue that was likely introduced during the initial design phase and not properly addressed through security review processes.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations to prevent unauthorized access to their laboratory automation systems. The primary recommendation involves disabling or removing the hardcoded factory accounts from all affected systems, particularly those running versions that include Siemens Healthineers Informatics products. Network segmentation should be implemented to isolate these critical systems from general network access, with port 5900 specifically blocked at firewalls and network access controls. System administrators should also conduct comprehensive inventory audits to identify all affected devices and ensure proper patching with the vendor-provided security updates. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure configuration management and proper credential handling in industrial control systems, as highlighted in NIST SP 800-82 guidelines for industrial control systems security. Additionally, organizations should implement continuous monitoring for unauthorized access attempts and establish incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts. The lack of known public exploitation at the time of advisory publication does not diminish the severity of this vulnerability, as it represents a persistent risk that could be easily exploited by threat actors with basic network reconnaissance capabilities.