CVE-2024-35294 in Series 700
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2024
An unauthenticated remote attacker may use the devices traffic capture without authentication to grab plaintext administrative credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/05/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in network device traffic capture functionality that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to access plaintext administrative credentials. The issue stems from insufficient authentication mechanisms within the device's traffic monitoring capabilities, creating an attack vector that bypasses normal access controls. The vulnerability affects devices that implement traffic capture features without proper authentication enforcement, potentially exposing sensitive administrative information to any remote attacker who can reach the device. This weakness directly violates fundamental security principles of authentication and access control, as outlined in CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication vulnerabilities. The attack surface is particularly concerning because it enables credential harvesting without requiring any prior authentication credentials or privileged access, making it an attractive target for automated exploitation.
The technical implementation flaw occurs when the traffic capture functionality fails to validate the identity of users attempting to access captured network traffic. This typically manifests in devices where the capture mechanism operates on a default or poorly configured access control list that permits access to sensitive traffic data without proper authentication. Attackers can exploit this by directly accessing the traffic capture interface or through related network services that expose the capture functionality. The vulnerability creates a persistent exposure where administrative credentials can be captured in plaintext format, bypassing normal encryption and authentication protections that should safeguard these sensitive credentials. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 which covers data compression and T1566 which covers credential access through network traffic analysis. The flaw essentially creates a backdoor access point to network traffic monitoring that should only be available to authenticated administrative users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft to potentially enable full network compromise. When administrative credentials are captured in plaintext, attackers can gain complete control over the affected devices and potentially use these credentials to access other systems within the network perimeter. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring physical access or prior knowledge of valid credentials, making it particularly dangerous in environments where devices are exposed to untrusted networks. Network administrators may remain unaware of the compromise since the traffic capture functionality itself is not necessarily malicious, but rather a legitimate feature that has been misconfigured or lacks proper access controls. This vulnerability can lead to persistent access, lateral movement, and data exfiltration attacks, as attackers can use the stolen credentials to maintain access to the compromised systems. The impact is amplified in environments where multiple devices share similar administrative credentials or where credentials are reused across different systems.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper authentication controls for all traffic capture and monitoring functionalities. Network administrators must ensure that traffic capture interfaces require valid authentication credentials before granting access to captured data streams. This includes configuring access control lists that restrict traffic capture access to authorized administrative users only, implementing strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication, and ensuring that all network services expose only necessary functionality to authenticated users. The solution involves enforcing principle of least privilege where traffic capture features are only accessible to users who require this functionality for legitimate administrative purposes. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit the exposure of traffic capture interfaces to trusted administrative networks. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar authentication bypass vulnerabilities in network infrastructure components. Additionally, implementing network monitoring solutions that detect unusual access patterns to traffic capture interfaces can provide early warning of potential exploitation attempts. The remediation should follow security standards such as those outlined in NIST SP 800-53 for access control and authentication mechanisms, ensuring that all network traffic monitoring capabilities are properly secured against unauthorized access.