CVE-2026-25202: MagicInfo9 Server Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-25202 Overview

CVE-2026-25202 is a critical hardcoded credentials vulnerability affecting Samsung MagicINFO 9 Server. The database account and password are hardcoded within the application, allowing attackers who discover these credentials to log in and directly manipulate the database. This vulnerability falls under CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials), a well-known security weakness that enables unauthorized access to sensitive systems.

Critical Impact

Attackers with network access can exploit hardcoded database credentials to gain full control over the MagicINFO 9 Server database, potentially leading to data theft, data manipulation, or complete system compromise.

Affected Products

• Samsung MagicINFO 9 Server versions prior to 21.1090.1

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-02 - CVE-2026-25202 published to NVD
• 2026-02-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25202

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a fundamental security design flaw where database authentication credentials have been embedded directly into the application code or configuration files. When credentials are hardcoded, they become static and cannot be easily changed without modifying the application itself. Attackers who reverse engineer the application binary, extract configuration files, or discover the credentials through other means can use them to authenticate directly to the database server.

The impact of this vulnerability is severe because successful exploitation grants attackers direct database access, bypassing all application-layer security controls. With database-level access, an attacker can read, modify, or delete any data stored in the system, potentially affecting all MagicINFO 9 Server installations that share the same hardcoded credentials.

Root Cause

The root cause is the use of hardcoded credentials (CWE-798) in the MagicINFO 9 Server application. Rather than implementing secure credential management practices such as environment variables, secure vaults, or per-installation unique credentials, the developers embedded static database credentials directly into the application. This practice violates secure development principles and creates a systemic vulnerability across all affected deployments.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker with network access to the database port can:

1. Obtain the hardcoded credentials by extracting them from the MagicINFO 9 Server application files, reverse engineering the binary, or finding them documented in public sources
2. Connect directly to the database service using a database client
3. Authenticate using the discovered hardcoded credentials
4. Execute arbitrary database operations including reading sensitive data, modifying records, creating new administrative accounts, or dropping tables

The vulnerability allows unauthenticated network attackers to achieve full database compromise with complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25202

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected database connections from IP addresses not associated with legitimate MagicINFO 9 Server application servers
• Database authentication logs showing successful logins using the hardcoded service account from unusual sources
• Unusual database query patterns such as bulk data exports, schema enumeration, or administrative operations during off-hours
• Evidence of credential harvesting attempts against MagicINFO 9 Server configuration files or binaries

Detection Strategies

• Monitor database authentication logs for the hardcoded account being used from unexpected source IPs
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect anomalous queries or bulk data access patterns
• Deploy network monitoring to identify direct database connections bypassing the application server
• Configure alerts for database administrative operations performed by the service account

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed database audit logging for all authentication attempts and privileged operations
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect unauthorized lateral movement to database servers
• Set up file integrity monitoring on MagicINFO 9 Server installation directories to detect credential extraction attempts
• Establish baseline database access patterns and alert on deviations

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25202

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Samsung MagicINFO 9 Server to version 21.1090.1 or later immediately
• Restrict network access to the database server to only authorized application servers using firewall rules
• Change database credentials if your deployment allows manual credential configuration
• Audit database logs for any evidence of unauthorized access using the hardcoded credentials
• Implement network segmentation to isolate the database server from untrusted networks

Patch Information

Samsung has released a security update addressing this vulnerability. Users should upgrade to MagicINFO 9 Server version 21.1090.1 or later. Refer to the Samsung Security Updates page for official patch information and download links.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network access controls limiting database connectivity to only the MagicINFO 9 Server application hosts
• Deploy a database firewall or proxy to filter and monitor database connections
• Use network segmentation to place the database server in an isolated network zone with no direct internet exposure
• Enable database connection encryption (TLS) and configure the database to reject unencrypted connections
• If possible, configure the database to only accept connections via Unix socket rather than TCP/IP