CISA Advisory: Kastle Systems Access Control System

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v4 9.2
• ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low attack complexity
• Vendor: Kastle Systems
• Equipment: Access Control System
• Vulnerabilities: Use of Hard-coded Credentials, Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to access sensitive information on the affected product.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following versions of Kastle Systems Access Control System are affected:

• Access Control System: Firmware before May 1, 2024

3.2 Vulnerability Overview

3.2.1 USE OF HARD-CODED CREDENTIALS CWE-798

Kastle Systems firmware prior to May 1, 2024, contained a hard-coded credential, which if accessed may allow an attacker to access sensitive information.

CVE-2024-45861 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).

A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-45861. A base score of 9.2 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N).

3.2.2 CLEARTEXT STORAGE OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION CWE-312

Kastle Systems firmware prior to May 1, 2024, stored machine credentials in cleartext, which may allow an attacker to access sensitive information.

CVE-2024-45862 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).

A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-45862. A base score of 8.7 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).

3.3 BACKGROUND

• CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS: Commercial Facilities, Government Facilities
• COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED: Worldwide
• COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION: United States

3.4 RESEARCHER

evildaemond (Adam Foster) reported these vulnerabilities to CISA.

4. MITIGATIONS

Kastle Systems have fixed the system configuration vulnerabilities internally. No user interaction is required.

CISA would like to highlight that this is a cloud-based solution hosted by Kastle Systems, and CISA’s traditional mitigation strategies may not be applicable in this context.

CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov/ics. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies.

CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets.

Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage at cisa.gov/ics in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B–Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies.

Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.

No known public exploitation specifically targeting these vulnerabilities have been reported to CISA at this time.

5. UPDATE HISTORY

• September 19, 2024: Initial Publication