CVE-2024-28809

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-28809 exposes a critical security flaw in Infinera hiT 7300 systems running firmware version 5.60.50. The vulnerability stems from cleartext storage of sensitive passwords within firmware update packages, enabling attackers with access to these packages to extract hardcoded credentials. These credentials can then be used to access various appliance services, potentially leading to full system compromise. The lack of a confirmed patch and the presence of hardcoded credentials elevate the risk, especially in environments where firmware packages are not adequately protected.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby ecosystems. It is a hardware appliance firmware issue.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS score is listed as 0.0, which is likely a placeholder or uncalculated. Based on the nature of the vulnerability (cleartext storage of hardcoded credentials), a reasonable CVSS v3.1 vector would be:

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

• Attack Vector (AV): Local – Requires access to the firmware update package.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low – Credentials are stored in cleartext.
• Privileges Required (PR): None – No authentication needed to extract credentials from the package.
• User Interaction (UI): None – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged – The vulnerable component is the appliance itself.
• Confidentiality (C): High – Full access to appliance services.
• Integrity (I): High – Potential to modify appliance configuration.
• Availability (A): High – Could disrupt appliance operations.

Threat Level: Critical – Hardcoded credentials in cleartext are a severe design flaw.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the firmware update packages for the Infinera hiT 7300. These packages are typically distributed as encrypted or signed archives, but in this case, sensitive passwords are stored in cleartext within the package. Attackers who obtain a legitimate firmware package (e.g., via a compromised download portal, insider threat, or network sniffing) can extract the credentials without any decryption or reverse engineering.

The hardcoded credentials likely correspond to privileged accounts used for maintenance, diagnostics, or administrative access to the appliance's services (e.g., SSH, web interface, SNMP). Once extracted, an attacker can:

1. Gain unauthorized access to the appliance.
2. Modify configurations, install backdoors, or exfiltrate data.
3. Use the appliance as a pivot point to attack other network segments.

The attack vector is local in the sense that the attacker must have access to the firmware package, but this could be achieved remotely if the package is stored on an accessible file server or transmitted over an unencrypted channel.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, a direct code comparison is not possible. However, the vulnerable behavior is the inclusion of cleartext passwords in the firmware package. A patched version would:

• Encrypt or hash the passwords before inclusion.
• Use a secure key management system to store and retrieve credentials.
• Remove hardcoded credentials entirely in favor of dynamic authentication mechanisms.

Vulnerable (Conceptual):

{
  "firmware_config": {
    "admin_password": "P@ssw0rd123",
    "snmp_community": "public"
  }
}

Patched (Conceptual):

{
  "firmware_config": {
    "admin_password_hash": "$2y$10$...",
    "snmp_community_encrypted": "AES256_ENCRYPTED_VALUE"
  }
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Objective: Extract hardcoded credentials from a firmware update package and gain access to the appliance.

Prerequisites:

• Access to a legitimate firmware update package for Infinera hiT 7300 (version 5.60.50).
• A tool to extract the package contents (e.g., binwalk, unzip, or vendor-specific tools).

Steps:

1. Obtain the firmware package (e.g., firmware_v5.60.50.bin).
2. Extract the package:

   binwalk -e firmware_v5.60.50.bin
   

3. Search for cleartext passwords in the extracted files:

   grep -r "password" _firmware_v5.60.50.bin.extracted/
   

4. Identify the credentials (e.g., admin:admin123).
5. Use the credentials to access the appliance via SSH or web interface:

   ssh admin@<appliance_ip>
   

6. Escalate privileges or pivot to other systems.

Blue Team

Objective: Detect and prevent exploitation of hardcoded credentials.

Steps:

1. Inventory: Identify all Infinera hiT 7300 appliances and their firmware versions.
2. Network Segmentation: Isolate these appliances on a management VLAN with strict access controls.
3. Monitor Firmware Downloads: Log and alert on any access to firmware update repositories.
4. Credential Rotation: If possible, change the hardcoded passwords immediately after initial setup (though this may not be feasible if the credentials are embedded in the firmware).
5. Honeypot: Deploy a decoy appliance with the same firmware to detect scanning or login attempts.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • Unusual SSH or web login attempts to Infinera hiT 7300 appliances.
  • Traffic to/from known malicious IPs after successful authentication.
• File IOCs:
  • Firmware packages with cleartext password strings (e.g., admin_password, snmp_community).
• System IOCs:
  • Unexpected configuration changes on the appliance.
  • New user accounts or modified service credentials.
• Log IOCs:
  • Successful logins from unexpected source IPs.
  • Multiple failed login attempts followed by a success.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_28809_Infinera_Cleartext_Password
{
    meta:
        description = "Detects cleartext passwords in Infinera hiT 7300 firmware packages"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2024-01-01"
        cve = "CVE-2024-28809"
    strings:
        $password1 = "admin_password" ascii wide nocase
        $password2 = "snmp_community" ascii wide nocase
        $password3 = "root_password" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Infinera hiT 7300 Hardcoded Credential Usage
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects successful login attempts using hardcoded credentials on Infinera hiT 7300 appliances
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    product: infinera
    service: auth
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 4624
        AccountName: 'admin'
        LogonType: 3
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate administrative access
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert tcp $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HOME_NET 22 (msg:"CVE-2024-28809 Infinera hiT 7300 Hardcoded SSH Login"; flow:to_server,established; content:"SSH-2.0-OpenSSH"; nocase; content:"admin"; nocase; within:100; reference:cve,2024-28809; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate Affected Devices: Place Infinera hiT 7300 appliances on a separate, restricted network segment.
2. Change Default Credentials: If the appliance allows, change all hardcoded passwords immediately.
3. Monitor Firmware Packages: Ensure firmware packages are stored securely and transmitted over encrypted channels.
4. Apply Vendor Patch: Contact Infinera for a patched firmware version. If unavailable, consider replacing the appliance.

Long-Term Recommendations:

1. Vendor Accountability: Demand that Infinera release a security advisory and patched firmware.
2. Secure Development: Implement secure coding practices to avoid hardcoded credentials.
3. Regular Audits: Conduct periodic security audits of all network appliances.
4. Network Segmentation: Apply strict access controls to management interfaces.

Valters IT