CVE-2022-30270
📋 TL;DR
The Motorola ACE1000 RTU has five preconfigured accounts with default credentials, including two undocumented accounts. This allows attackers to gain SSH access to the device, potentially compromising industrial control systems. Organizations using ACE1000 RTUs through May 2022 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Motorola ACE1000 RTU
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of industrial control systems, unauthorized control of critical infrastructure, data exfiltration, or disruption of operations.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to RTU configuration, file system manipulation, potential lateral movement within OT networks.
If Mitigated
Limited to no impact if default credentials are changed and proper network segmentation is implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires SSH access and knowledge of default credentials. Simple credential guessing/brute force attacks are effective.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: N/A
Vendor Advisory: https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/advisories/icsa-22-179-06
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Change default credentials for all five accounts (root, abuilder, acelogin, cappl, ace). 2. Ensure strong, unique passwords are used. 3. Document all account changes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allRestrict SSH access to trusted management networks only
Configure firewall rules to block port 22/TCP from untrusted networks
SSH Hardening
linuxImplement SSH security controls
Use SSH key authentication instead of passwords
Implement fail2ban or similar to block brute force attempts
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate ACE1000 RTUs from untrusted networks
- Monitor SSH authentication logs for failed login attempts and credential guessing attacks
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Attempt SSH login to port 22 using default credentials for accounts: root, abuilder, acelogin, cappl, aceCheck Version:
Check device documentation or contact Motorola support for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that default credentials no longer work by attempting SSH login with known default credentials📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed SSH authentication attempts
- Successful SSH logins from unusual IPs
- Multiple authentication attempts for default account names
Network Indicators:
- SSH connections to port 22 from unauthorized sources
- Brute force patterns against SSH service
SIEM Query:
source="ssh" (user="root" OR user="abuilder" OR user="acelogin" OR user="cappl" OR user="ace") AND action="success"