CVE-2024-6979 in AXIS OS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/10/2024
Amin Aliakbari, member of the AXIS OS Bug Bounty Program, has found a broken access control which would lead to less-privileged operator- and/or viewer accounts having more privileges than designed. The risk of exploitation is very low as it requires complex steps to execute, including knowing of account passwords and social engineering attacks in tricking the administrator to perform specific configurations on operator- and/or viewer-privileged accounts. Axis has released patched AXIS OS a version for the highlighted flaw. Please refer to the Axis security advisory for more information and solution.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/14/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-6979 represents a critical access control flaw within the AXIS OS firmware ecosystem, specifically affecting surveillance camera systems deployed in enterprise and industrial environments. This weakness manifests as a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows less-privileged user accounts designated as operators or viewers to potentially gain elevated access rights beyond their intended authorization levels. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the system's authentication and authorization framework, creating a scenario where normal user permissions can be subverted through specific exploitation techniques.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves a breakdown in the role-based access control (RBAC) model that governs user permissions within the AXIS OS environment. According to the security advisory, the vulnerability requires multiple complex prerequisites for successful exploitation, including the acquisition of legitimate account credentials and the execution of social engineering operations against administrators. This multi-step attack vector aligns with common security principles where initial access is obtained through credential compromise, followed by privilege escalation through configuration manipulation. The vulnerability's classification as a broken access control issue maps directly to CWE-285, which specifically addresses improper authorization within software systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, potentially exposing sensitive surveillance data and system controls to unauthorized users who should not have such access levels. In industrial control systems and enterprise security environments, this could result in unauthorized monitoring of restricted areas, modification of security configurations, or complete system compromise. The low exploitation risk factor mentioned in the advisory reflects the complexity required to orchestrate such an attack, but this does not diminish the potential impact when successfully executed. Attackers would need to combine credential theft with social engineering to manipulate administrators into performing specific configuration changes that inadvertently grant elevated privileges to compromised accounts.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate firmware updates to the patched AXIS OS versions, which address the core access control implementation flaws. Organizations should also implement enhanced monitoring of account privilege changes and configuration modifications, particularly those initiated by administrative users. The security posture should include regular review of user access rights and implementation of principle of least privilege controls to minimize potential damage from any successful exploitation attempts. Additionally, administrative users require security awareness training to recognize social engineering attempts that could be used to manipulate them into performing unauthorized system changes. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of defense-in-depth strategies where multiple security controls work together to prevent successful exploitation attempts, as reliance on a single security mechanism can be insufficient against determined attackers. The remediation process should also include comprehensive security assessments of other AXIS OS devices within the network to identify similar access control weaknesses that may exist in the broader deployment.