CVE-2015-8362 – This vulnerability involves a hardcoded passwor... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2015-8362?

CVE-2015-8362 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability involves a hardcoded password for the 'BlackWidow' administrative account in Harman AMX devices, allowing remote attackers to gain unauthorized access via SSH or HTTP sessions. It affects AMX devices with firmware versions before October 12, 2015, potentially compromising entire control systems.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability involves a hardcoded password for the 'BlackWidow' administrative account in Harman AMX devices, allowing remote attackers to gain unauthorized access via SSH or HTTP sessions. It affects AMX devices with firmware versions before October 12, 2015, potentially compromising entire control systems.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Harman AMX devices (various models)

Versions: All firmware versions before 2015-10-12

Operating Systems: Embedded Linux-based AMX firmware

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: The BlackWidow account is deliberately hidden and not visible in normal user listings.

📦 What is this software?

Amx Firmware by Harman

View all CVEs affecting Amx Firmware →

Amx Firmware by Harman

View all CVEs affecting Amx Firmware →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system takeover allowing attackers to manipulate building automation, security systems, and industrial controls, potentially causing physical damage or safety hazards.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized access to control systems enabling surveillance, data theft, or disruption of automated processes in commercial/industrial environments.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if network segmentation and access controls prevent external access to vulnerable devices.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Direct remote exploitation possible via SSH/HTTP without authentication.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Internal attackers or compromised internal systems can easily exploit this backdoor account.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: CONFIRMED

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Simple credential-based attack using documented hardcoded credentials. No special tools required beyond SSH/HTTP client.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Firmware versions from 2015-10-12 onward

Vendor Advisory: http://www.amx.com/techcenter/NXSecurityBrief/

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download latest firmware from AMX Tech Center. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Upload and install firmware update via web interface or serial connection. 4. Reboot device. 5. Verify BlackWidow account is removed.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Access Control

linux

Restrict SSH and HTTP access to AMX devices using firewall rules

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -s trusted_network -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s trusted_network -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP

Account Monitoring

linux

Monitor for BlackWidow account login attempts

grep 'BlackWidow' /var/log/auth.log
grep 'Failed password' /var/log/auth.log | grep -E '(22|80)'

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Isolate AMX devices on separate VLAN with strict firewall rules blocking all unnecessary ports
Implement network monitoring to detect SSH/HTTP connections to AMX devices and alert on BlackWidow account usage

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Attempt SSH login with username 'BlackWidow' and known hardcoded password (documented in security advisories). If successful, device is vulnerable.

Check Version:

ssh admin@device_ip 'cat /etc/version' or check via web interface at http://device_ip

Verify Fix Applied:

Attempt SSH login with BlackWidow credentials - should fail. Check firmware version is 2015-10-12 or later via web interface or SSH with legitimate credentials.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

SSH login attempts for 'BlackWidow' user
HTTP requests with BlackWidow credentials in authentication headers
Unusual administrative activity from unknown IPs

Network Indicators:

SSH connections to AMX devices from unexpected sources
HTTP traffic to AMX web interfaces with authentication attempts

SIEM Query:

source="auth.log" AND "BlackWidow" OR (source="firewall" AND dest_port IN (22,80) AND dest_ip IN (amx_device_ips))

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2015-8362

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-255

Published: January 22, 2016

Last Updated: April 12, 2025

🔗 References

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