CVE-2019-5622
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2019-5622 is a critical vulnerability in Accellion File Transfer Appliance where hard-coded credentials allow attackers to gain unauthorized access. This affects organizations using the vulnerable version of the Accellion FTA software for secure file transfers. Attackers can exploit these credentials to compromise the appliance and potentially access sensitive data.
💻 Affected Systems
- Accellion File Transfer Appliance
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the Accellion FTA appliance leading to data exfiltration, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement into connected networks.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to the file transfer system allowing attackers to view, modify, or delete sensitive files being transferred through the appliance.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and monitoring, though credentials could still be discovered and used if the system is accessible.
🎯 Exploit Status
Metasploit modules exist for exploitation. The hard-coded credentials make exploitation straightforward once discovered.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after FTA_8_0_540
Vendor Advisory: https://www.accellion.com/support/security-advisories/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Upgrade to a patched version of Accellion FTA (post FTA_8_0_540). 2. Follow Accellion's upgrade documentation. 3. Restart the appliance services after upgrade.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Isolation
allRestrict network access to the Accellion FTA appliance to only trusted IP addresses and networks.
Credential Rotation
allIf possible, change any default or hard-coded credentials that can be modified through the appliance interface.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately isolate the Accellion FTA appliance from internet access and restrict internal network access
- Implement enhanced monitoring and alerting for suspicious access attempts to the appliance
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the Accellion FTA version via the web interface or SSH to the appliance and run version check commands specific to the appliance.Check Version:
Check via Accellion web admin interface or consult appliance documentation for version check commandsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the appliance version is updated beyond FTA_8_0_540 and test that the previously known hard-coded credentials no longer work.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed authentication attempts followed by successful logins with default credentials
- Unusual file access or transfer patterns from the appliance
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from the Accellion appliance
- Traffic patterns indicating data exfiltration
SIEM Query:
source="accellion_fta" AND (event_type="authentication" AND result="success" AND user="default_user")