CVE-2025-26341: Q-free Maxtime Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-26341 Overview

A critical Missing Authentication for Critical Function vulnerability (CWE-306) has been identified in Q-Free MaxTime traffic management software. The vulnerability exists in the maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua component and allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to reset arbitrary user passwords via crafted HTTP requests. This authentication bypass flaw affects Q-Free MaxTime versions 2.11.0 and earlier.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can reset any user's password remotely, potentially gaining full administrative access to traffic management systems and critical infrastructure.

Affected Products

• Q-Free MaxTime version 2.11.0 and earlier
• Q-Free MaxTime traffic management systems

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-12 - CVE CVE-2025-26341 published to NVD
• 2025-10-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-26341

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in Q-Free MaxTime's account management functionality. The maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua component fails to properly enforce authentication checks before allowing password reset operations. This design flaw allows remote attackers to manipulate password reset functionality without providing valid credentials, effectively bypassing the entire authentication mechanism.

The vulnerability is particularly severe because it targets the password reset function—a critical security control that, when compromised, can provide attackers with legitimate credentials to access the system. Given that Q-Free MaxTime is used in traffic management and critical infrastructure environments, unauthorized access could have significant real-world consequences.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-26341 is a CWE-306 "Missing Authentication for Critical Function" weakness in the maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua file. The password reset endpoint lacks proper authentication validation, allowing requests to be processed without verifying the identity of the requester. This is a fundamental access control failure where security-sensitive functionality is exposed without appropriate authorization checks.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable password reset endpoint. The attack flow involves:

1. Identifying a Q-Free MaxTime installation exposed to the network
2. Crafting malicious HTTP requests targeting the maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua endpoint
3. Submitting password reset requests for arbitrary user accounts
4. Gaining access using the newly reset credentials

Since the vulnerability requires no privileges and has low attack complexity, it represents a significant risk for any exposed Q-Free MaxTime installation. The exploitation mechanism involves direct HTTP request manipulation against the unprotected password reset functionality. For detailed technical information, refer to the Nozomi Networks Vulnerability Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-26341

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual password reset requests targeting multiple user accounts in rapid succession
• HTTP requests to maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua endpoints from unauthorized or external IP addresses
• Unexpected administrative account password changes without corresponding legitimate user activity
• Authentication logs showing successful logins following unexpected password reset events

Detection Strategies

• Monitor HTTP access logs for unauthenticated requests to the /maxprofile/accounts/ path
• Implement network intrusion detection rules to identify suspicious password reset request patterns
• Configure alerting for multiple password reset attempts within short time windows
• Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block malformed password reset requests

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging for all authentication-related endpoints in Q-Free MaxTime
• Establish baseline metrics for normal password reset activity to identify anomalies
• Implement real-time alerting for any password reset operations on privileged accounts
• Monitor network traffic to Q-Free MaxTime systems for unusual request patterns or sources

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-26341

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to Q-Free MaxTime installations using firewall rules and network segmentation
• Limit access to the administrative interface to trusted internal networks only
• Audit all user accounts for unauthorized password changes and reset compromised credentials
• Implement additional authentication layers such as VPN requirements for administrative access

Patch Information

Organizations should contact Q-Free directly for patch availability and upgrade guidance. Monitor the Nozomi Networks Vulnerability Advisory for updated remediation information. Upgrading to a patched version of Q-Free MaxTime (versions newer than 2.11.0 with the fix applied) is the recommended long-term solution.

Workarounds

• Implement network-level access controls to restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint from untrusted networks
• Deploy a reverse proxy or web application firewall to filter malicious requests to the password reset functionality
• Disable or restrict access to the maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua endpoint if password reset functionality is not required
• Monitor and audit all password reset activities until a patch can be applied

# Example: Restrict access to MaxTime administrative interface using iptables
# Allow access only from trusted management network
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.0.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP