[c-nsp] Cisco Security Advisory: Default Credentials for root Account on the Cisco Media Experience Engine 5600

Wed Jun 1 12:13:14 EDT 2011

Cisco Media Experience Engine (MXE) 5600 devices that are running
Cisco Media Processing Software releases prior to 1.2 ship with a
root administrator account that is enabled by default with a default
password. An unauthorized user could use this account to modify the
software configuration and operating system settings or gain complete
administrative control of the device. A software upgrade is not
required to resolve this vulnerability. Customers can change the root
account password by issuing a configuration command on affected
engines. The workarounds detailed in this document provide
instructions for changing the root account password.

This advisory is posted at:

http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20110601-mxe.shtml

Affected Products
=================

Vulnerable Products
+------------------

This vulnerability affects Cisco MXE 5600 units that are running
Cisco Media Processing Software releases prior to 1.2. To determine
the software release that is running on a Cisco MXE unit, log in to
the device and issue the show version command-line interface (CLI)
command to display the system banner. The following example shows a
Cisco MXE 5600 device running software version 1.2.0-34.

    mxe# show version
    ------------------------------------------------------------
                  Cisco MXE-5600 Software Versions
    ------------------------------------------------------------
     MXE-OS                     1.2.0-34
     MXE-MEDIA-O                1.2.0-34
    ------------------------------------------------------------

Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable
+--------------------------------

The Cisco MXE 3000 Series Media Experience Engines are not affected
by this advisory.

No other Cisco products are currently known to be affected by this
vulnerability.

Details
=======

The Cisco Media Experience Engine (MXE) 5600 is a modular
media-processing platform that provides advanced media-processing and
media-transformation services.

The Cisco MXE 5600 contains a root user that is enabled for advanced
debugging but is unnecessary during normal operations. The root
account is not the same as the admin and user accounts. The root
account is enabled by default in Cisco Media Processing Software
releases prior to 1.2 and is accessible via the local console and
SSH. It may also be accessible via Telnet if Telnet is enabled.
Telnet is not enabled by default.

Cisco Media Processing Software releases prior to 1.2 install with a
default password for the root user.

Cisco Media Processing Software release 1.2 requires an administrator
to choose a root password during installation. The root account
cannot be accessed until this step is complete.

In future software releases, the root account will be disabled by
default as mentioned in Cisco bug ID CSCto81037. For instructions on how
to set or change the root password, see the Workarounds section of this
advisory.

This vulnerability is documented in the Cisco bug ID CSCto77737 and
has been assigned the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) ID
CVE-2011-1623.

Vulnerability Scoring Details
=============================

Cisco has provided scores for the vulnerabilities in this advisory
based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). The CVSS
scoring in this Security Advisory is done in accordance with CVSS
version 2.0.

CVSS is a standards-based scoring method that conveys vulnerability
severity and helps determine urgency and priority of response.

Cisco has provided a base and temporal score. Customers can then
compute environmental scores to assist in determining the impact of
the vulnerability in individual networks.

Cisco has provided an FAQ to answer additional questions regarding
CVSS at:

http://www.cisco.com/web/about/security/intelligence/cvss-qandas.html

Cisco has also provided a CVSS calculator to help compute the
environmental impact for individual networks at:

http://intellishield.cisco.com/security/alertmanager/cvss

* CSCto77737 ("Default Credentials for root Account on MXE 5600")

CVSS Base Score - 10.0
    Access Vector -            Network
    Access Complexity -        Low
    Authentication -           None
    Confidentiality Impact -   Complete
    Integrity Impact -         Complete
    Availability Impact -      Complete

CVSS Temporal Score - 8.3
    Exploitability -           Functional
    Remediation Level -        Official-Fix
    Report Confidence -        Confirmed

Impact
======

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may allow an
unauthorized user to modify the software configuration and the
operating system settings or gain complete administrative control of
the device.

Software Versions and Fixes
===========================

When considering software upgrades, also consult
http://www.cisco.com/go/psirt and any subsequent advisories to determine
exposure and a complete upgrade solution.

In all cases, customers should exercise caution to be certain the
devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and that current
hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported
properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, contact
the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or your contracted
maintenance provider for assistance.

Cisco Media Processing Software for the Cisco MXE 5600 is available for
download at:

http://www.cisco.com/cisco/software/navigator.html?mdfid=282790320&i=rm

Workarounds
===========

In Cisco Media Processing Software releases prior to 1.2, the root
account is enabled by default with a default password, but the root
user can change the password at any time by issuing the passwd
command. The passwd command will accept a null or weak password, but
Cisco highly recommends using a long, complex password. To change the
password, users will need the default password. To obtain the default
password, customers must contact the Cisco TAC. Because entitlement
will be verified, please have the product serial number available and
refer to this advisory.

Cisco Media Processing Software Release 1.2 requires the
administrator to choose a root password during installation, and the
root account cannot be accessed until this step is complete.

In Cisco Media Processing Software Release 1.2, the root password can be
changed at any other time using the expert password command while logged
in as admin. The expert password command is a new feature mentioned
in Cisco bug ID CSCto77737 and integrated in Cisco Media Processing
Software Release 1.2.

In future software releases, the root account will be disabled by
default as mentioned in Cisco bug ID CSCto81037.

Additional mitigations that can be deployed on Cisco devices within
the network are available in the Cisco Applied Intelligence companion
document for this advisory:

http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-amb-20110601-mxe.shtml

Obtaining Fixed Software
========================

Prior to deploying software, customers should consult their
maintenance provider or check the software for feature set
compatibility and known issues specific to their environment.

Customers may only install and expect support for the feature
sets they have purchased. By installing, downloading, accessing
or otherwise using such software upgrades, customers agree to be
bound by the terms of Cisco's software license terms found at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/warranty/English/EU1KEN_.html,
or as otherwise set forth at Cisco.com Downloads at
http://www.cisco.com/public/sw-center/sw-usingswc.shtml.

Do not contact psirt at cisco.com or security-alert at cisco.com for
software upgrades.

Customers with Service Contracts
+-------------------------------

Customers with contracts should obtain upgraded software through
their regular update channels. For most customers, this means that
upgrades should be obtained through the Software Center on Cisco's
worldwide website at http://www.cisco.com.

Customers using Third Party Support Organizations
+------------------------------------------------

Customers whose Cisco products are provided or maintained through
prior or existing agreements with third-party support organizations,
such as Cisco Partners, authorized resellers, or service providers
should contact that support organization for guidance and assistance
with the appropriate course of action in regards to this advisory.

The effectiveness of any workaround or fix is dependent on specific
customer situations, such as product mix, network topology, traffic
behavior, and organizational mission. Due to the variety of affected
products and releases, customers should consult with their service
provider or support organization to ensure any applied workaround or
fix is the most appropriate for use in the intended network before it
is deployed.

Customers without Service Contracts
+----------------------------------

Cisco will not make free upgrade software available for affected
customers to address this vulnerability. The workaround provided in
this document describes how to change the passwords in current
releases of the software.

Exploitation and Public Announcements
=====================================

The Cisco PSIRT is not aware of any public announcements or malicious
use of the vulnerability described in this advisory.

This vulnerability was discovered during internal testing.

Status of this Notice: FINAL
============================

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY
KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF
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DOCUMENT AT ANY TIME.

A stand-alone copy or Paraphrase of the text of this document that
omits the distribution URL in the following section is an
uncontrolled copy, and may lack important information or contain
factual errors.

Distribution
============

This advisory is posted on Cisco's worldwide website at:

http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20110601-mxe.shtml

In addition to worldwide web posting, a text version of this notice
is clear-signed with the Cisco PSIRT PGP key and is posted to the
following e-mail and Usenet news recipients.

  * cust-security-announce at cisco.com
  * first-bulletins at lists.first.org
  * bugtraq at securityfocus.com
  * vulnwatch at vulnwatch.org
  * cisco at spot.colorado.edu
  * cisco-nsp at puck.nether.net
  * full-disclosure at lists.grok.org.uk
  * comp.dcom.sys.cisco at newsgate.cisco.com

Future updates of this advisory, if any, will be placed on Cisco's
worldwide website, but may or may not be actively announced on
mailing lists or newsgroups. Users concerned about this problem are
encouraged to check the above URL for any updates.

Revision History
================

+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Revision 1.0  | 2011-June-01  | Initial public release    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+

Cisco Security Procedures
=========================

Complete information on reporting security vulnerabilities
in Cisco products, obtaining assistance with security
incidents, and registering to receive security information
from Cisco, is available on Cisco's worldwide website at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/products_security_vulnerability_policy.html.
This includes instructions for press inquiries regarding
Cisco security notices. All Cisco security advisories are available at
http://www.cisco.com/go/psirt.

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Copyright 2010-2011 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Updated: Jun 01, 2011                             Document ID: 112959
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