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HighPublic exploit

Hardcoded SU Password in ZyXEL PK5001Z

IdentifiersCVE-2016-10401CWE-798

ZyXEL PK5001Z devices contain a hardcoded superuser (su) password ('zyad5001'), which allows an attacker with access to a non-root account to escalate privileges to root. This vulnerability is present in the device firmware and can be exploited if the attacker knows or can guess the password of any non-root account, or if a default non-root account is present in the ISP's deployment.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows remote attackers to obtain root access on the device, leading to full compromise of the device, including the ability to modify configurations, intercept traffic, or use the device as a pivot point for further attacks within the network.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Mitigations include restricting management access to trusted networks, disabling remote administration interfaces (such as Telnet or SSH) where possible, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. Changing all default account passwords and disabling unused accounts can also reduce risk.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

The recommended remediation is to update the device firmware to a version that removes the hardcoded su password or disables the use of hardcoded credentials. If a firmware update is not available, ISPs and administrators should restrict remote access to the device and disable any unnecessary accounts.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No valid public exploits. Mallory filtered out 1 candidate as fakes, detection scripts, or README-only repos.

VALID 0 / 1 TOTALView more in app

All candidate exploits were filtered out by Mallory's validation.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
Zyxel CommunicationsPk5001z Firmwareoperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

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Associated malware1

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

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Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity

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