Nova436q FirmwareOperating system · Baicells

CVE-2022-24693

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Baicells Nova436Q and Neutrino 430 devices with firmware through QRTB 2.7.8 have hardcoded credentials that are easily discovered, and can be used by remote attackers to authenticate via ssh. (The credentials are stored in the firmware, encrypted by the crypt function.)

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 confidence

Hardcoded SSH credentials embedded in Baicells Nova436Q and Neutrino 430 firmware (through QRTB 2.7.8) can be discovered by attackers through firmware analysis. The credentials are encrypted using the crypt function but are easily reversible, allowing remote attackers to authenticate via SSH and gain full device access.

MitigationUpdate firmware to a version beyond QRTB 2.7.8 when available from Baicells. Until then, restrict SSH access via firewall rules, network segmentation, and disable SSH if not required for operation.

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
Nova436q FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= qrtb_2.7.8
Neutrino 430 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= qrtb_2.7.8

CVSS 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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Baicells device model
    Log into the device web interface or check the device label to confirm the exact model (Nova436Q or Neutrino 430)
    Affected if The device is a Baicells Nova436Q or Neutrino 430 unit
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    Access the device web interface (usually at the device IP) and navigate to the System or Status page to view the firmware version. Alternatively, check via CLI using 'cat /etc/version' or 'firmware_info' if available
    Affected if The firmware version is qrtb_2.7.8 or earlier (any version <= qrtb_2.7.8)
  3. Verify if SSH service is enabled
    Check the device configuration via web interface for SSH/Telnet settings, or run 'ps | grep sshd' via serial/console access if you have it
    Affected if SSH daemon (sshd) is running and accessible on the device
  4. Confirm SSH password-based authentication is allowed
    Check SSH configuration files (typically /etc/ssh/sshd_config) for 'PasswordAuthentication yes' or examine the device web interface SSH settings panel
    Affected if Password authentication is enabled for SSH (the hardcoded credentials would then be usable)
  5. Review network exposure of SSH port
    Check firewall rules or network ACLs by examining the device network configuration or external port scans from an internal scanner pointing at the device IP on port 22
    Affected if SSH port (22/tcp) is accessible from untrusted networks or the internet

A user is affected if they have a Baicells Nova436Q or Neutrino 430 device running firmware version qrtb_2.7.8 or earlier with SSH enabled and exposed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update firmware to a version beyond QRTB 2.7.8 when available from Baicells. Until then, restrict SSH access via firewall rules, network segmentation, and disable SSH if not required for operation.

Fix this in Nova436q Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-24693 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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