Root takeover via hard-coded Telnet credentials
Published Mar 17, 2025 · Updated Mar 18, 2025
Improper authorization in the Telnet service of five China Mobile gateways through 20250305 allows remote authenticated users to gain root control. An unauthenticated LAN request enables Telnet, after which default Telnet credentials and a hard-coded root password let the su command open a root shell. The attacker must reach the gateway from the local network and authenticate with the disclosed default credentials; successful exploitation permits complete administrative control.
Summary
What happened
Improper authorization in the Telnet service of five China Mobile gateways through 20250305 allows remote authenticated users to gain root control. An unauthenticated LAN request enables Telnet, after which default Telnet credentials and a hard-coded root password let the su command open a root shell. The attacker must reach the gateway from the local network and authenticate with the disclosed default credentials; successful exploitation permits complete administrative control.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-2397
- Published
- Mar 17, 2025
- Updated
- Mar 18, 2025
- Vendor
- China Mobile
- Product
- GT3200-8G8P
- Classifications
- CWE-266, CWE-285, T1078.001
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 17, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 18, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=20250305
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Unauthorized access to execute the Telnet command proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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