CVE-2023-49228Public exploit

Physical root access via hard-coded console credentials

Published Dec 28, 2023 · Updated Nov 26, 2024

Hard-coded credentials in Peplink Balance Two before 8.4.0 allow physically proximate attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root. The ttyS0 login handler compares input with model-indexed SHA-1 hashes for embedded usernames and passwords, then spawns /bin/sh as root. Physical console-port access and knowledge of the embedded credential are required; the path remains active even when CLI SSH & Console is disabled.

CVSS severity6.4
Medium
EPSS probability0.47%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Hard-coded credentials in Peplink Balance Two before 8.4.0 allow physically proximate attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root. The ttyS0 login handler compares input with model-indexed SHA-1 hashes for embedded usernames and passwords, then spawns /bin/sh as root. Physical console-port access and knowledge of the embedded credential are required; the path remains active even when CLI SSH & Console is disabled.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-49228
Published
Dec 28, 2023
Updated
Nov 26, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-798, T1059.004, T1078
Attack vector
physical
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 28, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 26, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorphysical
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.4NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorphysical
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-798Use of Hard-coded Credentials
T1059.004Unix Shell
T1078Valid Accounts

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo