CVE-2015-8286 – This vulnerability affects Zhuhai RaySharp firm... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2015-8286?

CVE-2015-8286 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability affects Zhuhai RaySharp firmware with a hardcoded root password, allowing remote attackers to gain administrative access via Telnet (port 23) or a custom service (port 9000). This impacts security camera systems and DVRs using this vulnerable firmware, potentially exposing surveillance feeds and system control.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability affects Zhuhai RaySharp firmware with a hardcoded root password, allowing remote attackers to gain administrative access via Telnet (port 23) or a custom service (port 9000). This impacts security camera systems and DVRs using this vulnerable firmware, potentially exposing surveillance feeds and system control.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Zhuhai RaySharp firmware
Various security camera/DVR brands using RaySharp firmware (Swann, Lorex, Night Owl, others)

Versions: All versions with the hardcoded credential

Operating Systems: Embedded Linux-based firmware

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects systems with Telnet (23) or RaySharp service (9000) enabled. Many devices ship with these services active by default.

📦 What is this software?

Raysharp Firmware by Zhuhai

View all CVEs affecting Raysharp Firmware →

⚠️ Manual Verification Required

This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.

Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).

🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.

Recommended Actions:

Review the CVE details at NVD
Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise allowing attackers to view/alter surveillance footage, disable security systems, pivot to internal networks, or install persistent malware.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized access to surveillance systems enabling espionage, footage manipulation, or denial of service against security monitoring.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if systems are isolated behind firewalls with strict network segmentation and access controls.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Direct internet exposure allows trivial remote exploitation via known ports.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal attackers or compromised hosts could exploit this, but requires network access.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: CONFIRMED

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires only telnet or netcat connection with known credentials. Widely documented in security blogs and CERT advisories.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Unknown

Vendor Advisory: http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/899080

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

No official patch available. Contact device vendors for firmware updates. If unavailable, implement workarounds.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Telnet and RaySharp Services

linux

Block or disable TCP ports 23 and 9000 on affected devices

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 23 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 9000 -j DROP

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate affected devices in separate VLAN with strict firewall rules

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Segment devices on isolated network with no internet access
Implement strict firewall rules blocking all inbound connections to ports 23 and 9000

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Attempt telnet connection to device port 23 or 9000 and try default credentials (varies by device, commonly root/root or admin/123456)

Check Version:

No standard command. Check device web interface or console for firmware version.

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify telnet/port 9000 connections fail or require authentication. Test with known default credentials.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Failed/successful authentication attempts on port 23/9000
Root login from unexpected IP addresses

Network Indicators:

Telnet connections to port 23
Connections to port 9000
Traffic patterns suggesting credential brute-forcing

SIEM Query:

source_port=23 OR dest_port=23 OR source_port=9000 OR dest_port=9000

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2015-8286

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-254

Published: February 18, 2016

Last Updated: April 12, 2025

🔗 References

http://console-cowboys.blogspot.com/2013/01/swann-song-dvr-insecurity.html Exploit
http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2015/Jun/117 Exploit
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/01/28/more-than-a-dozen-brands-of-security-camera-systems-vulnerable-to-hacker-hijacking/
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/899080 Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/923388 Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
https://community.rapid7.com/community/metasploit/blog/2013/01/23/ray-sharp-cctv-dvr-password-retrieval-remote-root
http://console-cowboys.blogspot.com/2013/01/swann-song-dvr-insecurity.html Exploit
http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2015/Jun/117 Exploit
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/01/28/more-than-a-dozen-brands-of-security-camera-systems-vulnerable-to-hacker-hijacking/
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/899080 Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/923388 Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
https://community.rapid7.com/community/metasploit/blog/2013/01/23/ray-sharp-cctv-dvr-password-retrieval-remote-root

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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