CVE-2020-26201
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to gain unauthorized administrative or root access to Askey AP5100W Dual-SIG WiFi mesh access points via Telnet or SSH using weak default passwords. Affected systems include all Askey AP5100W_Dual_SIG versions 1.01.097 and earlier. Attackers can fully compromise the device's operating system.
💻 Affected Systems
- Askey AP5100W Dual-SIG WiFi Mesh Access Point
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete device takeover allowing attackers to intercept network traffic, deploy malware, pivot to internal networks, or use the device as a persistent foothold for further attacks.
Likely Case
Unauthorized administrative access leading to network eavesdropping, configuration changes, and potential credential theft from connected devices.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if strong network segmentation, access controls, and monitoring are implemented to detect and block unauthorized access attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only knowledge of the weak password and network access to Telnet/SSH services. The Medium article provides detailed exploitation methodology.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 1.01.097
Vendor Advisory: https://www.askey.com.tw/incident_report_notifications.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Contact Askey for updated firmware. 2. Download the latest firmware version. 3. Upload and apply the firmware update through the device's web interface. 4. Reboot the device to complete the update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Telnet and SSH Services
linuxDisable remote access services if they are not required for operations
telnetd stop
sshd stop
systemctl disable telnetd
systemctl disable sshd
Change Default Passwords
linuxChange all default passwords to strong, unique credentials
passwd root
passwd admin
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate affected devices from critical networks
- Deploy network monitoring and intrusion detection to alert on unauthorized access attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Attempt to connect via Telnet or SSH using known weak/default credentials. Check device firmware version through web interface or CLI.Check Version:
cat /etc/version or check web interface system informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version is newer than 1.01.097. Test that weak credentials no longer provide access via Telnet/SSH.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed authentication attempts followed by successful logins from unexpected sources
- Telnet/SSH connections from unauthorized IP addresses
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected Telnet/SSH traffic to device management interfaces
- Traffic patterns indicating configuration changes or data exfiltration
SIEM Query:
source="device_logs" (event="authentication_success" AND user="root" OR user="admin") OR (service="telnet" OR service="ssh") AND dest_ip="device_ip"🔗 References
- https://medium.com/csg-govtech/bolstering-security-how-i-breached-a-wifi-mesh-access-point-from-close-proximity-to-uncover-f8f77dc3cd5d
- https://www.askey.com.tw/
- https://www.askey.com.tw/incident_report_notifications.html
- https://medium.com/csg-govtech/bolstering-security-how-i-breached-a-wifi-mesh-access-point-from-close-proximity-to-uncover-f8f77dc3cd5d
- https://www.askey.com.tw/
- https://www.askey.com.tw/incident_report_notifications.html
