CVE-2017-17101
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass login screens on affected IP cameras and gain 'super admin' access. Attackers can view live video feeds, access configuration files containing passwords, and control system settings. This affects many different models of IP cameras using Apexis APM-H803-MPC software.
💻 Affected Systems
- Various IP camera models using Apexis APM-H803-MPC software
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of camera system allowing unauthorized surveillance, credential theft, camera control, and potential pivot to internal networks.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to live video feeds and configuration data, enabling surveillance and credential harvesting.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if cameras are isolated on separate VLANs with strict network segmentation and access controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only HTTP requests to specific unprotected CGI endpoints. Video demonstrations show complete exploitation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: No official vendor advisory found
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider replacing affected cameras with models from reputable vendors that provide security updates.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate cameras on separate VLANs with strict firewall rules preventing internet access and limiting internal access.
Access Control Lists
allImplement IP-based access controls to restrict camera management interface access to authorized administrative networks only.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Physically disconnect cameras from networks if they contain sensitive surveillance footage
- Replace affected cameras with models from vendors that provide security updates and patches
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Attempt to access camera CGI endpoints without authentication. Check for unprotected access to /cgi-bin/ endpoints that should require authentication.Check Version:
Check camera web interface or documentation for software version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that all CGI endpoints require proper authentication and that login bypass is no longer possible.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthenticated access to CGI endpoints
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful access without credentials
- Access to configuration or video streams from unauthorized IP addresses
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to camera CGI endpoints from unexpected sources
- Traffic patterns showing video streaming to unauthorized destinations
SIEM Query:
source_ip NOT IN authorized_admin_ips AND (uri CONTAINS '/cgi-bin/' OR uri CONTAINS 'config' OR uri CONTAINS 'stream') AND response_code=200