CVE-2021-40857 in COMpact 5500R
Summary
by MITRE • 12/13/2021
Auerswald COMpact 5500R devices before 8.2B allow Privilege Escalation via the passwd=1 substring.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2021
The Auerswald COMpact 5500R is a telecommunications device used in enterprise environments for voice and data communication services. This vulnerability affects firmware versions prior to 8.2B and represents a significant security flaw that allows unauthorized users to escalate their privileges within the system. The vulnerability specifically resides in how the device handles authentication parameters, particularly when the passwd=1 substring is present in certain requests.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation and authentication handling within the device's web interface. When a malicious user crafts a request containing the passwd=1 parameter, the system fails to properly validate the user's credentials before granting elevated access rights. This weakness enables an attacker to bypass normal authentication procedures and gain administrative privileges without proper authorization. The vulnerability can be exploited through web-based attacks where an attacker sends specially crafted HTTP requests to the device's management interface.
The operational impact of this privilege escalation vulnerability is severe and far-reaching. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain complete administrative control over the device, allowing them to modify network configurations, access sensitive communication data, disable security features, and potentially use the device as a pivot point for further attacks within the network. The device serves as a critical communication hub in many enterprise environments, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking persistent access to network resources. This vulnerability undermines the integrity of the entire communication infrastructure that relies on the device for voice and data services.
Mitigation strategies should begin with immediate firmware updates to version 8.2B or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the privilege escalation vulnerability. Network segmentation should be implemented to limit access to the device's management interface, restricting access to authorized personnel only through secure network connections. Additional security measures include implementing strong access controls, regular security audits, and monitoring for suspicious authentication attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control issues, and represents a classic example of insufficient authorization checks in web applications. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps to the privilege escalation techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1068 category for local privilege escalation, though it operates at the network device level rather than traditional operating system contexts. Organizations should also implement network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts against the device.