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Cisco is still hard-coding passwords into its products (www.thestack.technology)
submitted 1 week ago by BrikoX@lemmy.zip to c/cybersecurity@sh.itjust.works
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Static credentials with passwords written into a firewall's code. What could go wrong?

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[-] sylver_dragon@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

This is a good example of why a zero trust network architecture is important. This attack would require the attacker to be able to SSH to the management interface of the device. Done right, that interface will be on a VLAN which has very limited access (e.g. specific IPs or a jumphost). While that isn't an impossible hurdle for an attacker to overcome, it's significantly harder than just popping any box on the network. People make mistakes all the time, and someone on your network is going to fall for a phishing attack or malicious redirect or any number of things. Having that extra layer, before they pop the firewall, gives defenders that much more time to notice, find and evict the attacker.

Also, Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot Cisco?

[-] horse_battery_staple@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

That layered security should not be assumed though, thus the issue with hard coded passwords on a firewall. I'd understand for a downstream managed switch. Not a firewall though....bad form and lazy implementation. In my opinion.

[-] sylver_dragon@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

Ya, absolutely. My point was that, we shouldn't assume that vendors are doing things right all the time. So, it's important to have those layered defense, because vendors do stupid stuff like this.

[-] ryannathans@aussie.zone 7 points 1 week ago

To be fair you need physical access

[-] horse_battery_staple@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Where does it say that?

[-] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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 14 points 1 week 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.

[-] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 1 week ago

You are right:

The second is using SSH, which is enabled by default on the management interface of the device. SSH can also be enabled on data interfaces.

Holy fuck.

[-] horse_battery_staple@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Yup, that's Cisco alright

[-] ryannathans@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago

Management interface is only available locally

[-] curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago

The management interface can 100% be put on LAN and often is.

[-] ryannathans@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Okay sure then you're asking for trouble. You could also configure the word password as your password.

[-] curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago

I agree, its not something I would do.

Doesn't change that it happens.

[-] borari@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 week ago

You are right:

You should have gone with “correct”.

[-] horse_battery_staple@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

~~Is that needed or useful criticism?~~

HA! I totally missed the joke. Well played.

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

I think it’s more a reference to your username than actual criticism.

[-] borari@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I thought that would land better.

[-] horse_battery_staple@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Oh GEEZ! Sorry, I had a VERY literal day at work today. Completely flew over my head.

[-] borari@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

It’s all good. I’ve been having some of those days for what feels like the past month or two now. Hope work chills out for you!

[-] ryannathans@aussie.zone -2 points 1 week ago

The management interface is only available with physical access

[-] jaybone@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

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

[-] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 week 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 5 points 1 week 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.)

[-] ryannathans@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago

Nothing prevents you from making it remotely accessible with the password "password" either

[-] magic_smoke@links.hackliberty.org 6 points 1 week ago

Glad I just finished moving my rack over to mikrotik...

[-] Zirconium@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

First thought I had was oil. I was like how do you put passwords on oil products?

this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2024
133 points (100.0% liked)

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