Vulnerable Systems:
* Tandberg C Series Endpoints and E/EX Personal Video running on the C20 codecs
* Tandberg C Series Endpoints and E/EX Personal Video running on the C40 codecs
* Tandberg C Series Endpoints and E/EX Personal Video running on the C60 codecs
* Tandberg C Series Endpoints and E/EX Personal Video running on the C90 codecs
* Tandberg C Series Endpoints and E/EX Personal Video running on the E20 codecs
* Tandberg C Series Endpoints and E/EX Personal Video running on the EX60 codecs
* Tandberg C Series Endpoints and E/EX Personal Video running on the EX90 codecs
Tandberg C Series Endpoints and E/EX Personal Video units that are running software versions prior to TC4.0.0 ship with a root administrator account that is enabled by default with no password. An attacker could use this account in order to modify the application configuration or operating system settings. Resolving this default password issue does not require a software upgrade and can be changed or disabled by a configuration command for all affected customers. The workaround detailed in this document demonstrates how to disable the root account or change the password.
Tandberg devices are part of the Cisco TelePresence Systems that provide Cisco TelePresence endpoints for immersive environments, conference rooms, individual desktops and home offices. The C Series Endpoints are typically deployed as Multipurpose Room Systems and the E/EX Personal Video units are desktop devices.
These devices contain a root user that is enabled for advanced debugging that is unnecessary during normal operations. The root account is not the same as the admin and user accounts. The root user is enabled by default in software versions prior to TC 4.0.0. The default configuration prior to TC 4.0.0 does not set a password for the root user.
Workaround:
The root user is disabled in the default configuration starting in the TC4.0.0 software version. To disable the root account, an administrator should log in to the applications programmer interface and use the command "systemtools rootsettings off" to temporarily disable the account, or the command "systemtools rootsettings never" to permanently disable the root user.
The root user is enabled for advanced debugging. If the root user is needed, the password should be configured when the account is enabled. This can be done through the command "systemtools rootsettings on [password]".