CVE-2024-51051 in AVSCMS
Summary
by MITRE • 11/19/2024
AVSCMS v8.2.0 was discovered to contain weak default credentials for the Administrator account.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/19/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-51051 affects AVSCMS version 8.2.0, a content management system that serves as a platform for managing digital content across various organizational domains. This particular weakness represents a critical security flaw that undermines the fundamental access control mechanisms of the system. The vulnerability stems from the implementation of default administrative credentials that remain unchanged after system installation, creating an easily exploitable entry point for unauthorized actors seeking to gain privileged access to the platform's administrative functions.
This technical flaw constitutes a clear violation of security best practices and aligns with CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials in software implementations. The presence of default administrator credentials in production environments represents a fundamental failure in secure configuration management and demonstrates poor adherence to the principle of least privilege. Attackers can exploit this weakness without requiring any specialized knowledge of the system's internal workings, as the credentials are typically well-documented and readily available through various security databases and vulnerability repositories.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the content management system. This elevated privilege level allows threat actors to modify, delete, or inject malicious content into the platform, potentially compromising the integrity of all managed content. The implications become particularly severe when considering that content management systems often serve as central repositories for sensitive organizational data, including customer information, internal communications, and business-critical documents that may contain intellectual property or regulatory compliance data.
The vulnerability's exploitation aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to initial access and privilege escalation. Attackers can leverage this weakness as part of a broader attack chain, using the compromised administrative account to establish persistence within the network and to move laterally to other systems. The low complexity and high impact nature of this vulnerability makes it particularly attractive to automated attack tools, which can systematically scan for and exploit these default credentials across multiple targets. Organizations running AVSCMS v8.2.0 without proper credential management procedures face significant risk of unauthorized system compromise and potential data breaches.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies that include mandatory credential changes upon system deployment, implementation of multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and regular security audits to identify any remaining default credentials. The remediation process should also involve updating to patched versions of AVSCMS where available, and establishing robust credential management policies that enforce strong password requirements and regular credential rotation schedules. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring controls to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts that may exploit this vulnerability.