1. Introduction
The vulnerability, Cisco Video Surveillance Manager Default Administrator Credentials, involves a web application using default administrative credentials (‘root’ / ‘secur4u’). This allows an attacker to gain unauthorized access to the management interface of affected systems. Successful exploitation could compromise confidentiality, integrity and availability of video surveillance data and system settings. Systems typically affected are those running Cisco Video Surveillance Manager software.
2. Technical Explanation
The remote Cisco Video Surveillance Manager installation uses a default set of credentials to control access to its management interface. An attacker can exploit this by directly logging in with these known credentials. No specific CVE is currently associated, but the issue relates to weak or missing authentication controls (CWE-798). A realistic example involves an attacker attempting to log into the web interface using ‘root’ as the username and ‘secur4u’ as the password.
- Root cause: The use of hardcoded, default credentials for administrative access.
- Exploit mechanism: An attacker attempts login with the default credentials via the application’s web interface.
- Scope: Cisco Video Surveillance Manager installations using default credentials.
3. Detection and Assessment
Confirming vulnerability involves checking if default credentials are still in use on a system. A quick check is to attempt login with ‘root’ / ‘secur4u’. Thorough assessment requires reviewing configuration files for any hardcoded credentials.
- Quick checks: Attempt to log into the web interface using username ‘root’ and password ‘secur4u’.
- Scanning: Nessus plugin ID 138792 may detect this vulnerability, but results should be verified manually.
- Logs and evidence: Check application logs for successful login attempts with the default credentials.
4. Solution / Remediation Steps
The solution involves changing the default login credentials for the application. These steps should be performed as soon as possible.
4.1 Preparation
- Dependencies: Ensure you have administrative access to the web interface. A roll back plan involves restoring from the pre-change backup if issues occur.
- Change window: Coordinate with system owners for a maintenance window, if necessary.
4.2 Implementation
- Step 1: Log into the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager web interface using existing credentials (if possible).
- Step 2: Navigate to the administration or user management section of the application.
- Step 3: Change the password for the ‘root’ account to a strong, unique value.
- Step 4: Verify that you can log in with the new credentials.
4.3 Config or Code Example
Before
Default username: root
Default password: secur4u
After
Username: root (or a changed username)
Password: [Strong, unique password]
4.4 Security Practices Relevant to This Vulnerability
Practices that directly address this vulnerability type include strong authentication and safe defaults. Least privilege can reduce the impact if exploited by limiting access rights of compromised accounts. Input validation is not directly applicable here, but generally improves security.
- Practice 1: Implement strong password policies to enforce complex and unique passwords.
- Practice 2: Use a secure default configuration process that requires changing default credentials on first use.
4.5 Automation (Optional)
Automation is not generally suitable for this vulnerability due to the need for manual credential changes within the application UI.
5. Verification / Validation
- Post-fix check: Attempt to log into the web interface using username ‘root’ and password ‘secur4u’. Expected output: Login failure.
- Re-test: Repeat the quick check from section 3 – login should now fail with default credentials.
- Smoke test: Verify that you can access video feeds and system settings with the new credentials.
- Monitoring: Check application logs for failed login attempts with the default credentials, which would indicate an attempted exploit.
Attempting to log in as root/secur4u should result in a "Invalid username or password" error message.
6. Preventive Measures and Monitoring
- Baselines: Update a security baseline or policy requiring strong password policies and default credential changes.
- Asset and patch process: Implement a regular configuration review cycle to verify compliance with security standards.
7. Risks, Side Effects, and Roll Back
Changing the password may temporarily disrupt access if the new password is forgotten or incorrectly configured. Ensure you have documented the new credentials securely. The roll back steps involve restoring from the pre-change backup taken in section 4.1.
- Risk or side effect 1: Loss of administrative access if the new password is lost. Mitigation: Document the new password securely and consider a password reset process.
- Roll back: Restore the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager configuration from the pre-change backup.
8. References and Resources
- Vendor advisory or bulletin: https://secunia.com/advisories/276413/
- NVD or CVE entry: No specific CVE currently exists for this vulnerability.
- Product or platform documentation relevant to the fix: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/video_surveillance/vms/configuration/reference/vms_ref/b_VMS_Configuration_Reference_Book.html