CVE-2024-50690 in WiNet
Summary
by MITRE • 01/25/2025
SunGrow WiNet-SV200.001.00.P027 and earlier versions contains a hardcoded password that can be used to decrypt all firmware updates.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2025
The SunGrow WiNet-SV200.001.00.P027 and earlier firmware versions contain a critical security vulnerability involving a hardcoded password that compromises the integrity of firmware update mechanisms. This vulnerability affects the device's ability to securely authenticate and decrypt firmware updates, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors seeking to compromise the system. The presence of a hardcoded credential within the firmware represents a fundamental flaw in the device's security architecture, as it provides persistent access to decryption keys that should remain secret and dynamic.
This technical flaw falls under the category of hardcoded credentials within software systems, which is categorized as CWE-798 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The vulnerability specifically impacts the firmware update process where the device uses a static password to decrypt firmware images, eliminating the need for proper authentication mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by extracting the hardcoded password from the firmware binary or through reverse engineering processes, subsequently gaining the ability to decrypt and potentially modify firmware updates. The impact extends beyond simple credential exposure as it undermines the entire firmware security model, making the device susceptible to firmware-level attacks and unauthorized modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it allows attackers to perform unauthorized firmware updates, potentially leading to complete system compromise and persistent backdoor access. Devices running affected firmware versions become vulnerable to supply chain attacks where malicious actors can inject compromised firmware updates that will be accepted and decrypted by the device. The vulnerability affects the device's security chain of trust, as the firmware update process becomes fundamentally insecure. This creates opportunities for attackers to escalate privileges, install persistent malware, or modify device behavior in ways that could compromise network security and data integrity.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigations including firmware updates from SunGrow to versions that address this hardcoded password issue. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and monitoring of firmware update traffic to detect anomalous behavior. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper credential management and secure coding practices, particularly in embedded systems where hardcoded values are often used for convenience but create lasting security risks. Additionally, this vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1547.001 for registry run keys and T1078 for valid accounts, as it provides persistent access through hardcoded credentials that can be leveraged for long-term system compromise. The presence of such a vulnerability in network infrastructure devices highlights the critical need for comprehensive security testing and validation of embedded firmware before deployment in production environments.