# CVE-2018-5400: Missing authorization in DCU-210E

> Attackers on the local network can spoof devices to establish unauthorized Modbus connections and send arbitrary commands to industrial controllers.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 8 Oct 2018
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hmx9-h7xx-529h

## What is CVE-2018-5400?

CVE-2018-5400 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in Auto-Maskin DCU-210E, published on 8 Oct 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Auto-Maskin products utilize an undocumented custom protocol to set up Modbus communications with other devices without validating those devices. The originating device sends a message in plaintext, 48:65:6c:6c:6f:20:57:6f:72:6c:64, "Hello World" over UDP ports 44444-44446 to the broadcast address for the LAN. Without verification devices respond to any of these broadcast messages on the LAN with a plaintext reply over UDP containing the device model and firmware version. Following this exchange the devices allow Modbus transmissions between the two devices on the standard Modbus port 502 TCP. Impact: An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to send arbitrary messages to any DCU or RP device through spoofing or replay attacks as long as they have access to the network. Affected releases are Auto-Maskin DCU-210E RP-210E: Versions prior to 3.7 on ARMv7.

Weakness: CWE-346 (Origin Validation Error)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-5400?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Auto-Maskin Dcu 210e Firmware, Auto-Maskin Rp 210e Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-5400?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-5400 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-5400 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-5400 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Auto-Maskin DCU-210E

- [CVE-2018-5401](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5401/): Information disclosure in DCU-210E (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2018-5402](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5402/): Weak cryptography in DCU-210E (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2019-6558](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-6558/): Auth bypass in Auto-Maskin RP210E Versions 3.7 and prior DCU210E Versions 3.7 and prior and Marine Observer Pro (Android App) (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-5400 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-5400 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in Auto-Maskin DCU-210E, published on 8 Oct 2018. 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-2018-5400 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Auto-Maskin DCU-210E. 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-2018-5400/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5400/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-5400
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-5400
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-5400

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5400/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.