CVE-2009-1745
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedArmorlogic Profense Web Application Firewall before 2.2.22, and 2.4.x before 2.4.4, has a default root password hash, and permits password-based root logins over SSH, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceArmorlogic Profense WAF versions prior to 2.2.22 and 2.4.x prior to 2.4.4 contain a hardcoded default root password hash in the system firmware. The appliance also allows password-based root authentication over SSH, enabling remote attackers who discover or crack the default hash to gain full administrative access to the firewall.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 2.2.21= 2.4CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm the installed product is Armorlogic Profense WAFIdentify the web application firewall product running in your environment and verify it is Armorlogic ProfenseAffected if The product is not Armorlogic Profense WAF, this CVE does not apply
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Determine the installed version of Profense WAFAccess the WAF management interface or use system commands to retrieve the firmware/software version numberAffected if The version is 2.2.21 or lower, OR the version is 2.4.x prior to 2.4.4 (including 2.4, 2.4.1, 2.4.2, 2.4.3)
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Verify if SSH root login is enabledCheck the SSH daemon configuration for PermitRootLogin and password authentication settings, typically in /etc/ssh/sshd_config or via the WAF management interfaceAffected if SSH root login with password authentication is permitted and accessible from any network
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Confirm whether the default root password has been changedReview the root user account configuration in the WAF system and verify the password hash does not match the known default hardcoded hashAffected if The root password remains at the factory default setting and SSH access is allowed
You are affected if you are running Armorlogic Profense WAF version 2.2.21 or lower, or version 2.4.x prior to 2.4.4, with SSH root login enabled and the default password still in use.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedImmediately change the default root password to a strong, unique credential and disable password-based root SSH login, replacing it with key-based authentication or restricting SSH access to specific management IPs. Upgrade to version 2.2.22 or 2.4.4 or later.
Profense WAF 2.2.22 or 2.4.4 (depending on your branch)
- Identify currently running Profense WAF version (2.2.x or 2.4.x branch)
- If on 2.2.x branch, upgrade to version 2.2.22 or later
- If on 2.4.x branch, upgrade to version 2.4.4 or later
- After upgrade, verify SSH root login is disabled or use key-based authentication
- Change any default passwords if they were in use
- Verify the WAF configuration is intact after upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-1745 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-1745 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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