Default Account Exposes Cisco Switches to Remote Attacks
9.11.2018 securityweek Attack

A default account present in Cisco Small Business switches can allow remote attackers to gain complete access to vulnerable devices. The networking giant has yet to release patches, but a workaround is available.

According to Cisco, Small Business switches running any software release come with a default account that is provided for the initial login. The account has full administrator privileges and it cannot be removed from the system.

The account is disabled if an administrator configures at least one other user account with the access privilege set to level 15, which is equivalent to root/administrator and provides full access to the switch. However, if no level 15 accounts are configured or existing level 15 accounts are removed from the device, the default account is re-enabled and the administrator is not notified.

Malicious actors can leverage this account to log in to a device and execute arbitrary commands with full admin privileges.

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2018-15439, was reported to Cisco by Thor Simon of Two Sigma Investments LP. The vendor says it’s not aware of any attempts to exploit the vulnerability for malicious purposes.

The flaw affects Cisco Small Business 200, 300 and 500 series switches, Cisco 250 and 350 series smart switches, and Cisco 350X and 550X series stackable managed switches. The vendor says Cisco 220 series smart switches are not impacted.

Until Cisco releases a patch, users have been advised to add at least one user account with privilege level 15 to their device’s configuration. The company’s advisory contains detailed instructions on how such accounts can be configured.

Cisco has also informed customers of a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting the management console in its Stealthwatch Enterprise product. A remote attacker can exploit the vulnerability to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary commands with admin rights.

Another critical vulnerability that allows arbitrary command execution with elevated privileges has been found in Cisco Unity Express.

Patches are available for both the Unity Express and the Stealthwatch Enterprise flaws and there is no evidence of malicious exploitation.

Cisco recently rolled out patches for a denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability impacting some of its security appliances. The security hole has been exploited in attacks and the company released fixes only a week after disclosure.