CVE-2023-45249: Acronis Cyber Infrastructure RCE Flaw

CVE-2023-45249 Overview

CVE-2023-45249 is a critical remote command execution vulnerability affecting Acronis Cyber Infrastructure (ACI) that stems from the use of default passwords. This hardcoded credentials flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands remotely on vulnerable systems. The vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild and has been added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating its severity and the urgency for organizations to patch affected systems.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain full command execution capabilities on Acronis Cyber Infrastructure deployments through exploitation of default credentials, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

Affected Products

• Acronis Cyber Infrastructure (ACI) before build 5.0.1-61
• Acronis Cyber Infrastructure (ACI) before build 5.1.1-71
• Acronis Cyber Infrastructure (ACI) before build 5.2.1-69
• Acronis Cyber Infrastructure (ACI) before build 5.3.1-53
• Acronis Cyber Infrastructure (ACI) before build 5.4.4-132

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-07-24 - CVE-2023-45249 published to NVD
• 2025-10-22 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-45249

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists due to the presence of default passwords within Acronis Cyber Infrastructure, classified under CWE-1393 (Use of Default Password). The flaw allows remote attackers to authenticate using these hardcoded credentials without any prior knowledge of legitimate user credentials. Once authenticated, attackers can execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system, effectively gaining complete control over the infrastructure.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means that any ACI deployment exposed to the network—whether internal or internet-facing—is potentially at risk. Attackers require no privileges or user interaction to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where ACI manages critical backup and disaster recovery operations.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2023-45249 lies in the improper handling of default credentials within Acronis Cyber Infrastructure. The software shipped with hardcoded default passwords that were not changed or disabled upon installation. This insecure default configuration practice violates fundamental security principles and enables unauthorized access to systems that have not been properly hardened post-installation.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can remotely connect to a vulnerable Acronis Cyber Infrastructure instance and attempt authentication using known default credentials. Upon successful authentication with these default passwords, the attacker gains the ability to execute commands on the target system with the privileges of the ACI service.

The exploitation flow typically involves:

1. Network reconnaissance to identify exposed ACI instances
2. Authentication attempts using known default credentials
3. Successful authentication leading to command execution capabilities
4. Post-exploitation activities including data exfiltration, lateral movement, or ransomware deployment

For technical details on the specific exploitation mechanism, refer to the Acronis Security Advisory SEC-6452.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-45249

Indicators of Compromise

• Authentication attempts to ACI management interfaces from unexpected source IP addresses
• Successful logins followed by unusual command execution patterns
• Network connections to ACI services from external or unauthorized internal hosts
• Unexpected administrative actions or configuration changes within ACI environments

Detection Strategies

• Monitor authentication logs for successful logins using default or known compromised credentials
• Implement network traffic analysis to detect reconnaissance activities targeting ACI ports and services
• Deploy behavioral analytics to identify anomalous command execution patterns post-authentication
• Utilize threat intelligence feeds to correlate activity with known exploitation campaigns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging for all ACI authentication events and administrative actions
• Configure SIEM rules to alert on authentication from unusual geographic locations or IP ranges
• Establish baseline behavioral patterns for ACI administrative activities to detect deviations
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect lateral movement from compromised ACI systems

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-45249

Immediate Actions Required

• Immediately update all Acronis Cyber Infrastructure deployments to the patched versions
• Change all default passwords on ACI systems, even if already patched
• Audit authentication logs for signs of previous exploitation attempts
• Restrict network access to ACI management interfaces to authorized administrators only
• Implement multi-factor authentication where supported

Patch Information

Acronis has released security patches addressing this vulnerability. Organizations must upgrade to the following minimum versions:

• ACI 5.0.1-61 or later for the 5.0.x branch
• ACI 5.1.1-71 or later for the 5.1.x branch
• ACI 5.2.1-69 or later for the 5.2.x branch
• ACI 5.3.1-53 or later for the 5.3.x branch
• ACI 5.4.4-132 or later for the 5.4.x branch

For detailed patch instructions, consult the Acronis Security Advisory SEC-6452.

Workarounds

• Isolate ACI management interfaces behind VPN or firewall rules restricting access to trusted networks only
• Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of ACI systems to untrusted networks
• Deploy intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor and block suspicious authentication attempts
• Disable or remove any unused administrative accounts on ACI systems

# Example: Restrict ACI management interface access using firewall rules
# Allow access only from trusted management network
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.10.10.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP

# Verify current firewall rules
iptables -L -n -v