CVE-2025-26343: Q-free Maxtime Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-26343 Overview

A weak authentication vulnerability (CWE-1390) exists in the PIN authentication mechanism of Q-Free MaxTime versions 2.11.0 and earlier. This security flaw allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to brute-force user PINs by sending multiple crafted HTTP requests to the application. The vulnerability stems from insufficient rate limiting and authentication controls in the PIN verification process, enabling attackers to systematically guess valid credentials without restriction.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can compromise user accounts through PIN brute-force attacks, potentially gaining unauthorized access to the MaxTime traffic management system without any prior authentication.

Affected Products

• Q-Free MaxTime versions ≤ 2.11.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-12 - CVE-2025-26343 published to NVD
• 2025-10-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-26343

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the PIN authentication mechanism of Q-Free MaxTime, a traffic management and enforcement solution. The fundamental weakness is the lack of proper brute-force protection controls on the authentication endpoint. When users attempt to authenticate using their PIN, the system fails to implement adequate countermeasures such as account lockouts, progressive delays, CAPTCHA challenges, or request rate limiting.

This architectural flaw enables attackers to automate PIN guessing attempts at high speed. Given that PINs typically have a limited keyspace (often 4-6 numeric digits), the absence of brute-force protection makes credential compromise achievable within a practical timeframe. The network-accessible nature of the vulnerability means attackers can conduct these attacks remotely without requiring any initial foothold in the target environment.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper implementation of authentication security controls as defined in CWE-1390 (Weak Authentication). The PIN verification endpoint lacks:

• Rate limiting mechanisms to throttle repeated authentication attempts
• Account lockout policies after failed login attempts
• Progressive time delays between authentication failures
• Monitoring and alerting for abnormal authentication patterns

These missing controls allow attackers to submit unlimited authentication requests, effectively reducing the security of PIN-based authentication to the computational time required to enumerate the PIN space.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted over the network through crafted HTTP requests targeting the PIN authentication endpoint. An attacker can leverage automated tools to systematically submit authentication requests with different PIN combinations. The attack requires no user interaction and can be executed by an unauthenticated attacker with network access to the MaxTime application.

The attack methodology involves identifying the authentication endpoint, then automating requests that iterate through possible PIN values. Without rate limiting or lockout mechanisms, each request receives an immediate response indicating success or failure, allowing rapid enumeration of the entire PIN space.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-26343

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusually high volume of authentication requests from a single source IP address
• Multiple failed authentication attempts against the same user account in rapid succession
• HTTP request patterns showing sequential or systematic PIN value submissions
• Authentication logs showing successful login after numerous prior failures from the same source

Detection Strategies

• Implement log analysis to identify authentication endpoints receiving abnormally high request rates
• Monitor for patterns of sequential authentication failures followed by a success, indicating successful brute-force
• Deploy network-based intrusion detection rules to flag high-frequency POST requests to authentication endpoints
• Establish baseline authentication metrics and alert on statistical deviations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging on all authentication-related endpoints in MaxTime
• Configure SIEM rules to correlate failed authentication events by source IP and target account
• Implement real-time alerting for authentication failure rates exceeding defined thresholds
• Review authentication logs regularly for evidence of brute-force attack patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-26343

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to Q-Free MaxTime to trusted IP ranges only using firewall rules
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rate limiting capabilities in front of the MaxTime application
• Review authentication logs for evidence of prior exploitation attempts
• Consider temporarily disabling PIN-based authentication if alternative authentication methods are available

Patch Information

Organizations should consult the Nozomi Networks Vulnerability Advisory for the latest information on patches and remediation guidance from Q-Free. Contact Q-Free directly for updated firmware or software versions that address this vulnerability.

Workarounds

• Deploy an external rate-limiting solution (reverse proxy or WAF) to restrict authentication attempts per IP address
• Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of the MaxTime system to untrusted networks
• Enable multi-factor authentication if supported by the application
• Monitor authentication endpoints with enhanced logging and alerting until a patch is available
• Consider implementing IP-based allowlisting for administrative access

# Example: Rate limiting with iptables (apply on network perimeter)
# Limit connections to MaxTime authentication port from single IP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -m state --state NEW -m recent --set
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -m state --state NEW -m recent --update --seconds 60 --hitcount 10 -j DROP