CVE-2022-23178
Published: 15 January 2022
Summary
CVE-2022-23178 is a critical-severity Improper Authentication (CWE-287) vulnerability in Crestron Hd-Md4X2-4K-E Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, ranked in the top 0.3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis
CVE-2022-23178 is an authentication bypass vulnerability affecting the administrative web interface on Crestron HD-MD4X2-4K-E HDMI switchers running firmware version 1.0.0.2159. Unauthenticated requests to the aj.html endpoint return a JSON document containing the uname and upassword fields, which hold valid administrative credentials for the device.
An attacker with network access to the web interface can retrieve these credentials without any prior authentication and then use them to log in with full administrative privileges. Successful exploitation grants complete control over the device configuration and operations, consistent with the CVSS 9.8 rating reflecting high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The RedTeam Pentesting advisory RT-SA-2021-009 published details of the issue and confirmed the credential disclosure behavior on the affected Crestron model. The EPSS score remains elevated near its observed peak of 0.9364, indicating sustained exploitation interest after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-28269
Vulnerability details
An issue was discovered on Crestron HD-MD4X2-4K-E 1.0.0.2159 devices. When the administrative web interface of the HDMI switcher is accessed unauthenticated, user credentials are disclosed that are valid to authenticate to the web interface. Specifically, aj.html sends a JSON document…
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with uname and upassword fields.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Detects unauthorized successful logons resulting from improper authentication implementations.
Documented procedures ensure personnel are trained on authentication mechanisms, tangibly lowering the risk of improper authentication being exploited.
Security awareness training instructs users on secure authentication practices and avoiding credential compromise.
Training on authentication mechanisms and best practices decreases the occurrence of improper authentication.
Non-repudiation requires strong authentication mechanisms to irrefutably attribute performed actions to specific individuals or processes.
Session content review can reveal authentication bypasses or failures in session establishment.
Review of authentication-related audit records can detect improper authentication mechanisms or bypasses.
Assessments check authentication mechanisms for correct implementation and effectiveness, reducing successful authentication bypass attempts.