Static credentials with passwords written into a firewall’s code. What could go wrong?

  • jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    Right in the Security Advisory

    allow an unauthenticated, local attacker to access an affected system using static credentials.

    Edit: NVM, later it says

    The second is using SSH, which is enabled by default on the management interface of the device.

    • horse_battery_staple@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      1 month ago

      That could be any user logged into the CLI. Cisco is famously a network appliance company and they make admin available over the network. Anyone who can get to the LAN/VLAN these appliances are on can exploit this. So not specifically physical access.

      • jaybone@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 month ago

        Nothing prevents you from putting this on a LAN that can be accessed from over the internet.

        • jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          1 month ago

          Even if it’s not directly accessible from the internet on its own, if it’s accessible from an host exposed to the internet then anyone that can compromise a single host can immediately compromise the firewall.

          “It’s only exposed to the outdated wordpress server” is effectively the same as being exposed to the internet.

          • jaybone@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            1 month ago

            Yeah that’s my point. Even if the manufacturer actually limits the IP config on the mgmt interface to be configured as not routable over the internet, it could intentionally be on a subnet accessible by some kind of ssh jump server or bastion host. (Or in your example, maybe unintentionally via the Wordpress server.)