CVE-2023-3265
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-3265 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in CyberPower PowerPanel Enterprise that allows unauthenticated attackers to log in as administrators using default credentials by appending non-printable characters to usernames. This affects organizations using CyberPower PowerPanel Enterprise for power management in data centers and critical infrastructure. Attackers can gain full administrative control without valid credentials.
💻 Affected Systems
- CyberPower PowerPanel Enterprise
📦 What is this software?
Powerpanel Server by Cyberpower
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of power management infrastructure allowing attackers to shut down or manipulate power to critical systems, potentially causing physical damage, data loss, and service disruption.
Likely Case
Unauthorized administrative access leading to configuration changes, data theft, lateral movement to connected systems, and potential ransomware deployment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if systems are isolated, monitored, and have additional authentication layers, though the vulnerability still provides initial access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only appending a non-printable character to the username 'cyberpower' during login. No special tools or advanced skills needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not specified in provided references - check CyberPower advisories
Vendor Advisory: Not provided in references - check CyberPower website
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check CyberPower website for security advisories
2. Download and apply the latest PowerPanel Enterprise update
3. Restart the PowerPanel Enterprise service
4. Verify authentication now rejects non-printable characters
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Default Account
allRemove or disable the default 'cyberpower' user account if not needed
Specific commands depend on PowerPanel Enterprise configuration interface
Network Isolation
allRestrict network access to PowerPanel Enterprise management interface
firewall rules to allow only trusted IPs/subnets
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately change default credentials and implement strong password policies
- Implement network segmentation to isolate PowerPanel Enterprise from critical systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Attempt to login with username 'cyberpower' followed by a non-printable character (like null byte) using default passwordCheck Version:
Check PowerPanel Enterprise web interface or documentation for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that login attempts with non-printable characters in username are rejected and default account requires proper authentication📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed login attempts with 'cyberpower' username
- Successful logins from unusual IP addresses
- Authentication logs showing non-printable characters
Network Indicators:
- Unauthorized access to PowerPanel Enterprise web interface ports
- Traffic to PowerPanel from unexpected sources
SIEM Query:
source="PowerPanel" AND (event="login" AND user="cyberpower*") OR (event="authentication_failure" AND user CONTAINS non-printable)