CVE-2023-41353: Critical Weak Password Vulnerability in Chunghwa Telecom NOKIA G-040W-Q Allows Remote Attackers to Gain Administrator Access

Subtitle: The popular Taiwanese broadband router is susceptible to a devastating password vulnerability, with potentially grave consequences to the security and privacy of both users and companies

Introduction

A recently discovered vulnerability in Chunghwa Telecom's NOKIA G-040W-Q broadband router exposes its users to potentially severe security threats. Identified as CVE-2023-41353, this vulnerability lies in the weak password requirements enforced by the router, allowing a remote attacker with mere user privileges to infer the administrator password and gain unrestricted access. As a result, the attacker can perform arbitrary system operations or disrupt services, compromising the privacy and security of the devices and users connected to the router.

Exploit Details

The router's administrator password is derived from system information that is easily accessible after initial log-in; this is what makes the vulnerability so hazardous. The attacker can interpret this information and construct the administrator password using rudimentary password cracking techniques.

To put the severity of the vulnerability into perspective, consider this simple code snippet demonstrating the process of inferring the administrator password:

import hashlib

def extract_system_info():
    # Extract important system information here
    return system_information

def generate_password(system_info):
    # Concatenate important system information
    pass_string = system_info["serial_number"] + system_info["additional_details"]

    # Generate MD5 hash of the concatenated string
    return hashlib.md5(pass_string.encode()).hexdigest()
    
system_information = extract_system_info()
generated_password = generate_password(system_information)

print("Administrator Password: ", generated_password)

This code snippet demonstrates how, using Python, an attacker would take sensitive data from system information and generate the administrator password through an MD5 hash. Of course, the actual code used by the attacker could be more complex, but this example provides a basic understanding of the vulnerability at hand.

Original References

1. [https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41353]

The National Vulnerability Database maintains a detailed, up-to-date record of the CVE-2023-41353 vulnerability, which can often be consulted as the primary source for technical and severity details.

2. [http://www.cht.com.tw/en/]

As the manufacturer of the affected router, Chunghwa Telecom's official website is a valuable resource for users to contact the company directly regarding the issue. It is highly recommended that the users and companies using the NOKIA G-040W-Q router take immediate action to mitigate this vulnerability.

Conclusion

This post details CVE-2023-41353, a critical vulnerability discovered in Chunghwa Telecom's NOKIA G-040W-Q broadband router, which puts users' privacy and security at a high-risk by allowing remote attackers to gain administrator access based on weak password requirements. Those affected should take immediate action to mitigate the issue, either by strengthening their passwords or contacting Chunghwa Telecom for further advice and support.

Timeline

Published on: 11/03/2023 06:15:07 UTC
Last modified on: 11/13/2023 19:31:44 UTC