Overview
In the realm of cybersecurity, managing vulnerabilities is a constant and ongoing effort. A new vulnerability, CVE-2025-54818, has surfaced recently that affects Cognex In-Sight Explorer and Camera Firmware. This vulnerability exposes a proprietary protocol on TCP port 1069 for management operations, including the handling of sensitive user credentials over an unencrypted channel. This vulnerability is of particular concern because it could allow an attacker to intercept valid credentials, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-54818
Severity: High (CVSS: 8.0)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Cognex In-Sight Explorer | All current versions
Cognex In-Sight Camera Firmware | All current versions
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from the lack of encryption in the user management functionality of the Cognex In-Sight Explorer and Camera Firmware. The software exposes a proprietary protocol on TCP port 1069, which is used for management operations, including modifying system properties. The user management functionality handles sensitive data, such as registered usernames and passwords, over an unencrypted channel. This lack of encryption allows an adjacent attacker to intercept valid credentials and potentially gain unauthorized access to the system.
Conceptual Example Code
An attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability by sniffing network traffic to intercept valid credentials. Pseudocode of this process might look something like the following:
def sniff_traffic(port):
while True:
packet = sniff(port)
if packet.contains("username") and packet.contains("password"):
print("Username: ", packet.get("username"))
print("Password: ", packet.get("password"))
break
sniff_traffic(1069)In this conceptual example, the attacker is sniffing the network traffic on port 1069. If a packet contains both “username” and “password” fields, the attacker extracts and prints out these credentials.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, users can use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can detect and prevent potential attacks by monitoring network traffic and blocking suspicious activities.
