CVE-2000-0559 in eTrust Intrusion Detection
Summary
by MITRE
eTrust Intrusion Detection System (formerly SessionWall-3) uses weak encryption (XOR) to store administrative passwords in the registry, which allows local users to easily decrypt the passwords.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/22/2025
The eTrust Intrusion Detection System represents a critical security vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-0559, which stems from the improper implementation of password storage mechanisms within the system's registry configuration. This vulnerability specifically affects the former SessionWall-3 product line and demonstrates a fundamental flaw in cryptographic practices that has persisted for decades. The system employs a weak XOR encryption algorithm to protect administrative passwords stored in the Windows registry, a method that provides minimal security protection against determined attackers. This weakness directly violates security best practices established in industry standards such as those outlined in CWE-327, which specifically addresses the use of weak or broken cryptographic algorithms. The vulnerability exists at the application level within the system's configuration management processes where sensitive authentication data should be protected using robust encryption methodologies rather than simple bitwise operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability relies on the XOR cipher mechanism, which operates by performing bitwise exclusive OR operations between the plaintext password and a fixed or predictable key. This encryption method is inherently flawed because XOR operations are reversible without requiring any secret key, making the decryption process trivial for local users who have access to the registry entries. The weakness becomes particularly pronounced when considering that the same key is often used repeatedly or when the key can be easily derived from the system's configuration files. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by simply extracting the encrypted password values from the registry and performing the reverse XOR operation to recover the original administrative credentials. This type of attack aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under the T1552.001 tactic for "Unsecured Credentials" and represents a classic example of weak cryptographic implementation that violates fundamental security principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential compromise, as it enables local users to gain unauthorized administrative access to the intrusion detection system. This privilege escalation capability allows attackers to modify system configurations, disable security features, and potentially establish persistent access points within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on the eTrust system for network monitoring and threat detection, creating a scenario where the very system designed to protect against external attacks becomes vulnerable to internal compromise. The implications are particularly severe because administrative access to an intrusion detection system provides complete control over network monitoring capabilities, including the ability to silence alerts, modify detection rules, or even redirect traffic for malicious purposes. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in security-critical applications and highlights the dangers of relying on homemade or weak encryption schemes instead of established cryptographic standards.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including the replacement of affected eTrust systems with modern intrusion detection solutions that employ proper encryption methodologies for credential storage. The remediation process requires careful attention to ensure that all stored passwords are properly re-encrypted using strong cryptographic algorithms such as those based on AES or SHA-256 hashing with proper salting mechanisms. System administrators must also conduct comprehensive audits of all registry entries to identify and remove any stored credentials that may have been compromised through this vulnerability. Security teams should implement monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized access attempts to the registry and establish proper access controls to limit local user privileges. The vulnerability serves as a stark reminder of the importance of adhering to established security standards and the necessity of conducting thorough cryptographic reviews during software development processes to prevent similar weaknesses from being introduced into security-critical applications.