CVE-2025-26342: Q-free Maxtime Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-26342 Overview

CVE-2025-26342 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting Q-Free MaxTime traffic management systems. The vulnerability exists in the maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua component, where a missing authentication check for critical account management functions allows unauthenticated remote attackers to create arbitrary user accounts, including administrator-level accounts, via specially crafted HTTP requests.

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function), representing a fundamental security design flaw where sensitive operations are exposed without proper access controls.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can create arbitrary administrator accounts, leading to complete system compromise of traffic management infrastructure.

Affected Products

• Q-Free MaxTime versions 2.11.0 and earlier
• All Q-Free MaxTime installations with exposed account management endpoints
• Traffic management systems utilizing vulnerable MaxTime software

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-12 - CVE-2025-26342 published to NVD
• 2025-10-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-26342

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua file within Q-Free MaxTime's web application layer. This Lua-based routing module handles user account management operations but fails to implement authentication checks before processing account creation requests. The flaw allows any network-accessible attacker to invoke user provisioning functionality without providing valid credentials.

Q-Free MaxTime is deployed in traffic management and intelligent transportation systems (ITS), making this vulnerability particularly concerning for critical infrastructure environments. The ability to create administrator accounts without authentication provides attackers with a direct path to full system control.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authentication enforcement mechanism in the routes.lua file responsible for handling account-related HTTP endpoints. The code processes incoming requests to the account creation endpoint without first verifying that the request originates from an authenticated and authorized user session. This represents a violation of the principle of defense in depth, where critical functions should always require proper authentication.

Attack Vector

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network without any prior authentication. The attack requires no user interaction and can be executed with low complexity. The attacker crafts malicious HTTP requests targeting the account management endpoints in maxprofile/accounts/routes.lua, specifying arbitrary user details including administrator privileges.

The vulnerability manifests in the account routes handling module where incoming HTTP requests for user creation are processed without session validation. Attackers can submit crafted POST requests to the vulnerable endpoint with parameters specifying username, password, and role attributes. Since no authentication token or session cookie validation occurs, the system accepts and processes these requests as legitimate administrative operations.

For detailed technical information, refer to the Nozomi Networks Vulnerability Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-26342

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected administrator or user accounts appearing in the MaxTime system
• HTTP POST requests to account creation endpoints from unauthorized IP addresses
• Unusual account creation activity in application logs without corresponding administrative actions
• Authentication bypass attempts visible in web server access logs targeting /maxprofile/accounts/ paths

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server logs for unauthenticated requests to account management endpoints
• Implement network intrusion detection rules for HTTP traffic patterns targeting MaxTime account routes
• Deploy anomaly detection to identify unexpected user provisioning activity
• Conduct regular audits of user accounts to identify unauthorized administrator accounts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for the MaxTime application, particularly for account management operations
• Configure SIEM alerts for new account creation events that lack corresponding authenticated sessions
• Monitor network traffic for external connections to MaxTime management interfaces
• Implement file integrity monitoring on the routes.lua file and related configuration files

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-26342

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to MaxTime management interfaces using firewall rules or network segmentation
• Audit existing user accounts and remove any unauthorized or suspicious administrator accounts
• Implement additional authentication layers such as VPN or reverse proxy with authentication in front of MaxTime
• Monitor for exploitation attempts while awaiting vendor patch

Patch Information

Organizations should contact Q-Free directly for patch availability and upgrade instructions for MaxTime versions newer than 2.11.0. Review the Nozomi Networks Vulnerability Advisory for additional remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to block unauthenticated requests to /maxprofile/accounts/ endpoints
• Implement network segmentation to isolate MaxTime systems from untrusted networks
• Configure reverse proxy authentication to require credentials before reaching MaxTime endpoints
• Disable or restrict access to account management functionality until patched versions are deployed

# Example firewall rule to restrict access to MaxTime management interface
# Adjust IP ranges according to your environment
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP