CVE-2024-54749
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 · uneditedUbiquiti U7-Pro 7.0.35 was discovered to contain a hardcoded password vulnerability in /etc/shadow, which allows attackers to log in as root. NOTE: this is disputed by the Supplier because the observation only established that a password is present in a firmware image; however, the device cannot be deployed without setting a new password during installation.
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 · moderate confidenceUbiquiti U7-Pro firmware version 7.0.35 contains a hardcoded password hash in /etc/shadow, which could allow attackers with access to the firmware image to obtain credentials for root login. The supplier disputes this as a vulnerability, noting that devices cannot be deployed without setting a new password during installation.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify device modelCheck if the target device is a Ubiquiti U7-Pro access point. This can be done via the UniFi controller, device label, or administrative interface.Affected if Device is a Ubiquiti U7-Pro
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Check firmware versionVerify the installed firmware version through the UniFi controller or device web interface. Look for version 7.0.35 specifically.Affected if Firmware version is 7.0.35
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Access device shellIf you have SSH or console access to the device, attempt to access /etc/shadow. This typically requires elevated privileges.Affected if You can access /etc/shadow on the device
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Inspect /etc/shadow for hardcoded hashExamine /etc/shadow for any unexpected root password hash entries. Compare against known Ubiquiti default credential patterns or look for suspicious static hash values.Affected if A hardcoded root password hash exists in /etc/shadow alongside or instead of properly managed credentials
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Verify installation password enforcementCheck whether the device was provisioned through the standard UniFi installation workflow that forces a new password. Review installation logs or configuration if available.Affected if The device was not forced to set a unique password during initial setup and retains default firmware credentials
A defender is affected if they have a U7-Pro running firmware 7.0.35 where the hardcoded root password hash in /etc/shadow was not replaced during device installation and remains exploitable.
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.
From vendor dataVerify that the device installation process properly enforces password changes and ensure no default hardcoded credentials persist in deployed units. If a firmware update is available, apply it after testing.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-54749 — 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-2024-54749 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data