CVE-2018-7364 – This vulnerability in ZTE ZXIN10 products allow... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2018-7364?

CVE-2018-7364 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability in ZTE ZXIN10 products allows unauthorized remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with root privileges due to improper access control in the devcomm process. All versions up to ZXINOS-RESV1.01.43 in the European region are affected. Attackers can gain complete control over vulnerable systems without authentication.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in ZTE ZXIN10 products allows unauthorized remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with root privileges due to improper access control in the devcomm process. All versions up to ZXINOS-RESV1.01.43 in the European region are affected. Attackers can gain complete control over vulnerable systems without authentication.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

ZTE ZXIN10

Versions: All versions up to ZXINOS-RESV1.01.43

Operating Systems: ZTE ZXINOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Specifically affects European region deployments; other regions may have different versioning.

📦 What is this software?

Zxin10 by Zte

View all CVEs affecting Zxin10 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise with root-level persistence, data theft, network pivoting, and potential destruction of infrastructure.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote code execution leading to backdoor installation, credential harvesting, and lateral movement within the network.

🟢

If Mitigated

Attack blocked at network perimeter; internal systems remain vulnerable if exposed.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Remote unauthenticated exploit with CVSS 9.8 score indicates critical risk for internet-facing systems.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Even internally, this provides privilege escalation to root and can be exploited by any network-accessible attacker.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Public advisory includes technical details; remote unauthenticated root access makes weaponization highly probable.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: ZXINOS-RESV1.01.44 or later

Vendor Advisory: http://support.zte.com.cn/support/news/LoopholeInfoDetail.aspx?newsId=1009943

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Contact ZTE for patch ZXINOS-RESV1.01.44 or later. 2. Apply patch following vendor instructions. 3. Restart affected systems. 4. Verify patch installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate ZXIN10 systems from untrusted networks and restrict access to necessary ports only.

Access Control Lists

all

Implement strict firewall rules to limit which IPs can communicate with ZXIN10 systems.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Segment network to isolate ZXIN10 systems in dedicated VLAN with strict access controls.
Implement intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor for exploitation attempts.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check ZXINOS version: if running ZXINOS-RESV1.01.43 or earlier in European region, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

Consult ZTE documentation for specific version check command (varies by deployment).

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify ZXINOS version is ZXINOS-RESV1.01.44 or later using vendor-provided version check command.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected devcomm process activity
Unauthorized access attempts to devcomm service
Root privilege escalation events

Network Indicators:

Unusual network connections to ZXIN10 systems from unexpected sources
Traffic patterns matching known exploit signatures

SIEM Query:

source_ip OUTSIDE trusted_range AND dest_ip IN zxin10_ips AND (port=devcomm_port OR protocol=unexpected)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2018-7364

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-284

Published: December 7, 2018

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://support.zte.com.cn/support/news/LoopholeInfoDetail.aspx?newsId=1009943 Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/orangecertcc/security-research/security/advisories/GHSA-34f2-7h57-rg7p Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://support.zte.com.cn/support/news/LoopholeInfoDetail.aspx?newsId=1009943 Vendor Advisory
http://support.zte.com.cn/support/news/LoopholeInfoDetail.aspx?newsId=1009943 Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/orangecertcc/security-research/security/advisories/GHSA-34f2-7h57-rg7p Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://support.zte.com.cn/support/news/LoopholeInfoDetail.aspx?newsId=1009943 Vendor Advisory

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