Overview
In the realm of cybersecurity, one type of vulnerability that raises significant concern is that which can lead to a potential system compromise or data leakage. This is the situation with CVE-2023-50123, a newly discovered vulnerability in the Hozard Alarm system (alarmsystemen) v1.0. This vulnerability is particularly worrisome given the nature of the Hozard Alarm system, which is typically relied upon to provide security for homes, businesses and other high-value premises. It’s a stark reminder that even the tools we use to protect ourselves can become attack vectors if not properly secured.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-50123
Severity: High (CVSS: 8.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Hozard Alarm System | v1.0
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability in Hozard Alarm system v1.0 centers on the SMS authentication process. The system does not limit the number of attempts to bring it to a disarmed state. This lack of limitation opens the door for an attacker to perform a brute force attack on the SMS authentication mechanism. By continually attempting different codes, an attacker can eventually stumble upon the correct code and disarm the system. This leaves the premises unprotected and allows the attacker to gain unauthorized access without triggering the alarm.
Conceptual Example Code
While this vulnerability does not involve code execution, the concept of the attack can be illustrated with pseudocode:
# Pseudocode for Brute Force Attack on Hozard Alarm System
for attempt in range(MAX_ATTEMPTS):
# Generate a new code to try
code = generate_random_code()
# Send the code as an SMS to the alarm system
send_sms(alarm_system_number, code)
# Check the response to see if the system was disarmed
if check_response():
print("System disarmed on attempt #", attempt)
breakIn the above pseudocode, an attacker generates random codes and sends them as SMS messages to the alarm system. This process continues until the correct code is found and the system is disarmed.
Mitigation Guidance
The most effective way to mitigate this vulnerability is by applying the vendor’s patch. The patch addresses this issue by implementing a limit on the number of attempts that can be made to disarm the system via SMS.
In the absence of a patch, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. These tools can detect and block suspicious activities, such as an unusually high number of SMS messages being sent to the alarm system, thereby preventing a brute force attack.