Software Engineering Institute

Frontel uses a custom protocol running on TCP port 888. The protocol performs an authentication handshake using AES-128 and a pre-shared key, and then sends data.

CWE-321: Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key - CVE-2015-8252

The authentication protocol uses a pre-shared key that entirely derived from the serial number of the device. This serial number is transmitted in the plain in messages, allowing an attacker to determine the key.

CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data - CVE-2015-8253

Messages and videos are sent unencrypted after the AES authentication handshake. The messages are sent in plain text, and the videos are sent as MJPEG video.

CWE-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity - CVE-2015-8254

Messages are sent without any integrity protection of the data. Messages may be spoofed to, for example, send false alarm signals or deactivate alarms.

For more information, please see the researcher's blog post.

A remote unauthenticated attacker may be able to spoof messages to manipulate and snoop on data, including video.

Apply an update

RSI Video Technologies has released an update to Frontel that introduces Frontel protocol version 3 to address these issues. Affected users should receive the update over the next month (by end of December 2015). Affected users are encouraged to update as soon as possible, and to contact RSI with any questions or concerns.