# CVE-2017-7905: Weak cryptography in GE Multilin SR, UR, and URplus Protective Relays

> Attackers can recover user passwords via dictionary attacks due to weak encryption, enabling unauthorized access to GE protective relays.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 30 Jun 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j9fv-w27p-6g89

## What is CVE-2017-7905?

CVE-2017-7905 is a critical vulnerability in GE Multilin SR, UR, and URplus Protective Relays, published on 30 Jun 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A Weak Cryptography for Passwords issue was discovered in General Electric (GE) Multilin SR 750 Feeder Protection Relay, firmware versions prior to Version 7.47; SR 760 Feeder Protection Relay, firmware versions prior to Version 7.47; SR 469 Motor Protection Relay, firmware versions prior to Version 5.23; SR 489 Generator Protection Relay, firmware versions prior to Version 4.06; SR 745 Transformer Protection Relay, firmware versions prior to Version 5.23; SR 369 Motor Protection Relay, all firmware versions; Multilin Universal Relay, firmware Version 6.0 and prior versions; and Multilin URplus (D90, C90, B95), all versions. Ciphertext versions of user passwords were created with a non-random initialization vector leaving them susceptible to dictionary attacks. Ciphertext of user passwords can be obtained from the front LCD panel of affected products and through issued Modbus commands.

Weakness: CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials), CWE-330 (Use of Insufficiently Random Values), CWE-326 (Inadequate Encryption Strength), CWE-261 (Weak Encoding for Password)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-7905?

It affects 10 products.


Products: Ge Multilin Sr 369 Motor Protection Relay Firmware, Ge Multilin Sr 469 Motor Protection Relay Firmware, Ge Multilin Sr 489 Generator Protection Relay Firmware, Ge Multilin Sr 745 Transformer Protection Relay Firmware, Ge Multilin Sr 750 Feeder Protection Relay Firmware, Ge Multilin Sr 760 Feeder Protection Relay Firmware, Ge Multilin Universal Relay Firmware, Ge Multilin Urplus B95 Firmware, Ge Multilin Urplus C90 Firmware, Ge Multilin Urplus D90 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-7905?

No fix has been published for CVE-2017-7905 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2017-7905 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-7905 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-7905 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-7905 is a critical vulnerability in GE Multilin SR, UR, and URplus Protective Relays, published on 30 Jun 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-7905 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: GE Multilin SR, UR, and URplus Protective Relays. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7905/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7905/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-7905
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-7905
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-7905

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7905/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.