CVE-2024-42418 Overview
CVE-2024-42418 affects Avtec Outpost, a land mobile radio recording and storage platform used in public safety and critical infrastructure environments. The product ships with a default cryptographic key that attackers can use to decrypt sensitive information stored or transmitted by the system. This is a hardcoded key weakness classified under [CWE-321] (Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key). Because the key is identical across deployments, any attacker who recovers it once can decrypt data from any vulnerable Outpost installation. CISA published advisory ICSA-24-235-04 to coordinate remediation across affected operators.
Critical Impact
Attackers with network access can decrypt sensitive data protected by the shared default key, undermining confidentiality across all deployments of Avtec Outpost using the affected firmware and uploader utility.
Affected Products
- Avtec Outpost Uploader Utility
- Avtec Outpost 0810 Firmware
- Avtec Outpost 0810 (hardware)
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-08-22 - CVE-2024-42418 published to NVD
- 2024-09-04 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-42418
Vulnerability Analysis
The Avtec Outpost product family uses a static cryptographic key embedded in the firmware and the Outpost Uploader Utility. The same key is distributed to every customer, so decryption of protected data does not require breaking the algorithm. An attacker only needs to extract the key once from a firmware image or utility binary. After extraction, the attacker can decrypt any data that was protected with that key on any deployment. This pattern undermines the confidentiality guarantee that cryptography is intended to provide.
Root Cause
The root cause is the use of a hard-coded cryptographic key, mapped to [CWE-321]. Secure designs derive per-device or per-installation keys from device-unique material, customer-provided secrets, or hardware key storage. Avtec Outpost instead relies on a shared key compiled into shipped artifacts. This violates standard key management practice for industrial control system (ICS) and public safety equipment.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires no privileges or user interaction. An attacker who can intercept Outpost network traffic, capture stored encrypted data, or access exported recordings can apply the recovered default key to decrypt the content. Extraction of the key requires only access to the publicly distributed firmware image or the Outpost Uploader Utility binary. See the CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-24-235-04 for vendor-coordinated technical details.
No verified public exploit code is available for CVE-2024-42418. The vulnerability mechanism is described in prose because no proof-of-concept code from authoritative sources exists at this time.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-42418
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected outbound connections from Outpost 0810 devices to unknown hosts, which may indicate exfiltration of encrypted recordings for offline decryption.
- Presence of the Outpost Uploader Utility binary on hosts outside the documented administrative inventory.
- Unauthorized access events to network segments carrying Outpost traffic or storage volumes hosting Outpost archives.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect network flows to and from Outpost 0810 devices and alert on connections that deviate from the documented baseline of recording servers and management stations.
- Hash and inventory copies of Outpost firmware and the Uploader Utility across the environment to identify unauthorized distribution.
- Monitor file access on storage holding Outpost recordings for read operations by accounts that do not belong to the recording workflow.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward Outpost device logs, firewall logs, and file access events to a centralized SIEM for correlation across the recording pipeline.
- Enable packet capture on ICS network segments hosting Avtec Outpost to support forensic decryption analysis if compromise is suspected.
- Track firmware versions deployed on Outpost 0810 hardware and flag any device still running pre-fix firmware after the remediation window closes.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-42418
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the firmware and Uploader Utility updates referenced in CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-24-235-04 as soon as the vendor-supplied fix is available for your deployment.
- Restrict network access to Outpost 0810 devices so only authorized recording servers and management workstations can reach them.
- Rotate any credentials, certificates, or session keys that may have been transmitted in data protected by the default key.
Patch Information
Refer to Avtec and the CISA advisory ICSA-24-235-04 for the corrective firmware version for Outpost 0810 and the updated Outpost Uploader Utility. Vendor coordination is documented in the CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-24-235-04. Confirm with Avtec support that any replacement key material is unique per installation rather than another shared default.
Workarounds
- Place Outpost 0810 devices behind a firewall on a dedicated ICS VLAN with strict ingress and egress rules, following ISA/IEC 62443 zone and conduit guidance.
- Terminate Outpost network traffic inside an encrypted VPN tunnel so that capture of ciphertext on intermediate networks does not expose data to default-key decryption.
- Limit physical and administrative access to systems holding Outpost firmware images and the Uploader Utility to reduce opportunities for key extraction.
# Example firewall restriction (adapt to your environment)
# Allow only recording server and management host to reach the Outpost device
iptables -A FORWARD -s 10.20.30.10 -d 10.50.0.25 -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A FORWARD -s 10.20.30.11 -d 10.50.0.25 -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A FORWARD -d 10.50.0.25 -j DROP
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
