CVE-2023-0344
📋 TL;DR
Akuvox E11 devices use a custom Dropbear SSH server with an insecure option not present in official versions, potentially allowing unauthorized access. This affects Akuvox E11 devices running vulnerable firmware versions. The vulnerability could enable attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms.
💻 Affected Systems
- Akuvox E11
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete device compromise allowing remote code execution, credential theft, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Unauthorized SSH access leading to device configuration changes, data exfiltration, or use as a pivot point for further attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and access controls preventing exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
The insecure option likely enables authentication bypass or other security weaknesses in the SSH server implementation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not specified in CVE description; check vendor advisory
Vendor Advisory: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-23-068-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check CISA advisory ICSA-23-068-01 for vendor updates. 2. Contact Akuvox for patched firmware. 3. Apply firmware update following vendor instructions. 4. Restart device after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable SSH Access
linuxDisable SSH service on affected devices if not required for operations
ssh service disable command specific to Akuvox E11 firmware
Network Access Control
linuxRestrict SSH access to trusted IP addresses only
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -s [trusted_ip] -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected devices in separate network segments with strict firewall rules
- Implement network monitoring and intrusion detection for SSH traffic anomalies
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device firmware version against vendor advisory; test SSH authentication with known vulnerable configurationsCheck Version:
ssh admin@device_ip 'cat /etc/version' or device-specific version commandVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version matches patched version from vendor; test SSH authentication attempts fail with previously working exploit methods📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed SSH authentication attempts from unexpected sources
- Successful SSH logins from unknown IP addresses
- SSH configuration changes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual SSH traffic patterns
- SSH connections from unexpected geographic locations
- Multiple SSH authentication attempts
SIEM Query:
source="ssh_logs" AND (event="authentication failure" OR event="accepted password") | stats count by src_ip