CVE-1999-1470 in Work Management
Summary
by MITRE
Eastman Work Management 3.21 stores passwords in cleartext in the COMMON and LOCATOR registry keys, which could allow local users to gain privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-1999-1470 represents a critical security flaw in Eastman Work Management version 3.21 that stems from improper credential storage practices within the Windows registry. This issue exposes sensitive authentication information through registry keys named COMMON and LOCATOR, where passwords are stored in plain text format rather than being properly encrypted or hashed. The vulnerability affects systems running this specific version of the software and creates a significant attack surface for local users who may exploit this weakness to escalate their privileges.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure to implement proper cryptographic measures for password storage, violating fundamental security principles outlined in security standards such as CWE-522 which addresses insufficiently protected credentials. When passwords are stored in cleartext within registry keys, any user with local access to the system can potentially read these values using standard registry editing tools or through programmatic access. This vulnerability directly enables privilege escalation attacks as attackers can obtain valid credentials and use them to assume higher-privileged user roles or system accounts. The registry-based storage approach eliminates any form of obfuscation or encryption, making the credentials immediately accessible to any process or user with appropriate registry read permissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft to encompass broader system compromise scenarios. Local users who can access the registry keys containing these cleartext passwords can potentially gain administrative privileges or access to restricted system resources. This weakness particularly affects environments where multiple users share the same system or where least privilege principles are not properly enforced. The vulnerability creates an inherent trust model weakness where the application itself becomes a vector for privilege escalation, as it essentially provides a backdoor mechanism for unauthorized access to system resources. Attackers can leverage this to move laterally within networks or establish persistent access points, especially in environments where Eastman Work Management is deployed across multiple workstations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate remediation through software updates and registry hardening measures. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to newer versions of Eastman Work Management that properly implement password encryption or hashing mechanisms for credential storage. System administrators should implement registry access controls to limit read permissions for the affected registry keys, though this approach provides only partial protection as the passwords remain accessible to users with sufficient privileges. The implementation of proper access control lists and registry auditing can help detect unauthorized access attempts to these sensitive locations. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing security monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on registry access patterns that might indicate credential theft attempts. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices such as those outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the credential access tactics, where adversaries specifically target stored credentials to maintain persistence and escalate privileges within compromised systems.