CVE-2023-48251
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to authenticate to SSH services with root privileges using a hidden hard-coded account. It affects Bosch Rexroth ctrlX CORE devices running vulnerable firmware versions. Attackers can gain complete control over affected systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- Bosch Rexroth ctrlX CORE
📦 What is this software?
Nexo Os by Bosch
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with root access, allowing data theft, ransomware deployment, lateral movement, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Unauthorized root access leading to industrial control system manipulation, data exfiltration, or disruption of operations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if SSH is disabled, network segmentation prevents access, or compensating controls detect anomalous authentication attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires knowledge of the hard-coded credentials but no authentication or special privileges.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Firmware version 1.28.0 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://psirt.bosch.com/security-advisories/BOSCH-SA-711465.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download firmware 1.28.0+ from Bosch Rexroth support portal. 2. Backup device configuration. 3. Apply firmware update via ctrlX CORE web interface or CLI. 4. Verify update completion and system functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable SSH Service
linuxDisable SSH service if not required for operations
systemctl disable ssh
systemctl stop ssh
Network Access Control
linuxRestrict SSH access to trusted IP addresses using firewall rules
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
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate affected devices from untrusted networks
- Deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for SSH authentication attempts with hard-coded credentials
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check firmware version via web interface (System > About) or CLI command 'cat /etc/os-release' for version before 1.28.0Check Version:
cat /etc/os-release | grep VERSION_IDVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm firmware version is 1.28.0 or later and test SSH authentication with previously known hard-coded credentials fails📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed SSH authentication attempts with unknown usernames
- Successful SSH logins from unexpected sources
- SSH logins with root privileges
Network Indicators:
- SSH connection attempts to port 22 from unauthorized sources
- Unusual SSH traffic patterns
SIEM Query:
source="auth.log" AND "sshd" AND ("Accepted" OR "Failed") AND NOT user IN (allowed_users)