How to remediate – Blue Coat Reporter Default Password (admin) for ‘admin’ Account

1. Introduction

The Blue Coat Reporter administrative password for the ‘admin’ account uses a default value. This means an attacker could gain unauthorized access to the web service interface. Affected systems typically include on-premise deployments of Blue Coat Reporter used for network traffic analysis and reporting. A successful attack could compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network data and system settings.

2. Technical Explanation

Nessus can exploit this vulnerability by attempting to log in with the username ‘admin’ and password ‘admin’. The Blue Coat Reporter installation does not enforce a strong password policy or require initial password changes, leaving it vulnerable to brute-force attacks. This is due to an unsafe default configuration. An attacker could use this access to view reports, modify settings, or potentially gain further control of the system.

• Root cause: The Blue Coat Reporter installation ships with a weak default password for the administrative account.
• Exploit mechanism: An attacker attempts to log in using ‘admin’ as both username and password. If successful, they gain administrative access.
• Scope: On-premise deployments of Blue Coat Reporter are affected.

3. Detection and Assessment

You can confirm if a system is vulnerable by checking the current password configuration or attempting to log in with default credentials.

• Quick checks: Attempt to login via the web interface using username ‘admin’ and password ‘admin’.
• Scanning: Nessus vulnerability ID 10935 can detect this issue. Other scanners may have similar checks.
• Logs and evidence: Check Blue Coat Reporter logs for failed login attempts with the ‘admin’ account, which could indicate prior probing.

# No command available to check password directly without attempting a login. Web interface access is required.

4. Solution / Remediation Steps

Change the default administrative password immediately. This will prevent unauthorized access to the Blue Coat Reporter web service.

4.1 Preparation

• Dependencies: Access to the Blue Coat Reporter web interface with administrative privileges. Change approval may be needed depending on organizational policies.

4.2 Implementation

1. Step 1: Log in to the Blue Coat Reporter web interface as ‘admin’ using the default password ‘admin’.
2. Step 2: Navigate to Administration > Users and Groups.
3. Step 3: Select the ‘admin’ user account.
4. Step 4: Change the password for the ‘admin’ account to a strong, unique value.
5. Step 5: Save the changes.

4.3 Config or Code Example

Before

Username: admin
Password: admin

After

Username: admin
Password: [Strong, Unique Password]

4.4 Security Practices Relevant to This Vulnerability

Several security practices can help prevent this type of issue. Least privilege limits the impact if an account is compromised. Safe defaults ensure systems start in a secure configuration. A strong password policy enforces complexity and regular changes.

• Practice 1: Implement least privilege to restrict access only to those who need it.
• Practice 2: Enforce safe defaults by requiring initial password changes during system setup.

4.5 Automation (Optional)

No suitable automation script is available for this specific vulnerability due to the web interface requirement and lack of API access.

5. Verification / Validation

Confirm that the password change was successful by attempting to log in with the old credentials, which should now fail. Then verify login works with the new password.

• Post-fix check: Attempt to log in using username ‘admin’ and password ‘admin’. The login should fail.
• Re-test: Re-run the initial login attempt with default credentials; it should continue to fail.

# No command available to check password directly without attempting a login. Web interface access is required.

6. Preventive Measures and Monitoring

Update security baselines to include strong password requirements for all administrative accounts. Implement CI/CD pipeline checks to prevent default credentials from being used in configurations. A regular patch or configuration review cycle can identify similar issues.

• Baselines: Update your security baseline to require a strong password policy for Blue Coat Reporter and other systems.
• Pipelines: Add checks to your CI/CD pipeline to scan for default credentials in configuration files.

7. Risks, Side Effects, and Roll Back

Changing the password could temporarily disrupt access if the new password is forgotten or incorrectly entered. Ensure all administrators have the new password documented securely. If a problem occurs, restore the previous configuration backup.

• Risk or side effect 1: Temporary loss of access if the new password is lost or incorrect.
• Roll back: Restore the Blue Coat Reporter configuration from the pre-change backup.

8. References and Resources

• Vendor advisory or bulletin: No specific vendor advisory found for default password, refer to Blue Coat Reporter documentation on user management.
• NVD or CVE entry: CVE-2017-5638
• Product or platform documentation relevant to the fix: Blue Coat Reporter User Management Documentation