CVE-2018-7229 in Pelco Sarix Professional
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability exists in Schneider Electric's Pelco Sarix Professional in all firmware versions prior to 3.29.67 which could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and gain administrator privileges because the use of hardcoded credentials.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7229 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in Schneider Electric's Pelco Sarix Professional video surveillance devices. This issue affects all firmware versions prior to 3.29.67 and exposes devices to unauthenticated remote attackers who can exploit hardcoded credentials to escalate their privileges to administrator level access. The flaw fundamentally undermines the security architecture of these networked video surveillance systems by relying on static, embedded credentials that cannot be changed or updated by administrators. Such hardcoded credentials represent a severe design weakness that violates fundamental security principles of credential management and access control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the device firmware containing hardcoded administrative credentials that are embedded within the software code itself. These credentials remain static across all affected firmware versions and are not configurable by system administrators, creating a persistent backdoor that attackers can exploit without requiring any valid authentication information. The flaw operates at the authentication layer where the system fails to properly validate user credentials against a dynamic credential store, instead relying on hardcoded values that are essentially public knowledge to anyone who can access the device's network interface. This design pattern aligns with CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hardcoded credentials in software implementations, and represents a classic example of insufficient authentication mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass complete system compromise and potential data exfiltration. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability gains full administrative control over the affected Pelco Sarix devices, enabling them to modify video recording configurations, access stored footage, reconfigure device settings, and potentially use the compromised devices as entry points for broader network infiltration. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the devices or knowledge of valid user credentials. This characteristic significantly increases the attack surface and reduces the time required for exploitation, making these devices particularly attractive targets for malicious actors. The vulnerability also impacts the integrity and confidentiality of video surveillance data, potentially exposing sensitive security information and undermining the trust placed in these critical infrastructure components.
Organizations using affected Pelco Sarix devices should immediately implement firmware updates to version 3.29.67 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, network segmentation should be implemented to isolate these devices from critical network segments, and continuous monitoring should be deployed to detect any unauthorized access attempts. The mitigation strategy should also include regular security assessments of networked devices to identify similar hardcoded credential vulnerabilities in other equipment. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security standards such as those outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO/IEC 27001, which emphasize the need for proper credential management and authentication controls. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically highlighting the use of hardcoded credentials as a method for bypassing authentication mechanisms, making it a critical concern for organizations implementing security controls against advanced persistent threats.