CVE-2002-1937 in Symantec
Summary
by MITRE
Symantec Firewall/VPN Appliance 100 through 200R hardcodes the administrator s MAC address inside the firewall s configuration, which allows remote attackers to spoof the administrator s MAC address and perform an ARP poisoning man-in-the-middle attack to obtain the administrator s password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-1937 represents a critical security flaw in Symantec Firewall/VPN Appliance versions 100 through 200R where the system hardcodes the administrator's MAC address within its firewall configuration. This design decision creates a significant attack vector that directly violates fundamental security principles of network authentication and access control. The hardcoded MAC address serves as a static identifier that should normally remain confidential and protected from unauthorized access, yet its presence in the configuration file makes it discoverable to remote attackers who can leverage this information to compromise the system's security posture.
This vulnerability stems from poor implementation of network security controls and violates multiple security best practices outlined in industry standards such as CWE-254 which addresses weaknesses in authentication mechanisms. The flaw allows attackers to perform ARP poisoning attacks by spoofing the administrator's MAC address, effectively positioning themselves in the network traffic path between the appliance and legitimate network nodes. This man-in-the-middle attack capability represents a sophisticated exploitation technique that leverages the predictable nature of the hardcoded identifier to gain unauthorized access to privileged administrative functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it provides attackers with a pathway to establish persistent access to the firewall appliance and potentially compromise the entire network infrastructure protected by that appliance. When an attacker successfully spoofs the administrator's MAC address, they can intercept and manipulate network traffic, potentially gaining access to sensitive data, modifying firewall rules, or redirecting traffic to malicious endpoints. This attack vector particularly threatens organizations that rely on Symantec appliances for network security, as the compromise of administrative credentials can lead to complete network infiltration and unauthorized access to protected resources.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with ATT&CK framework techniques such as T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers can use the compromised administrative access to conduct further attacks within the network. Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing dynamic MAC address assignment mechanisms, regular security audits of network configurations, and deployment of network monitoring tools to detect anomalous MAC address behavior. Organizations should also consider upgrading to newer versions of the Symantec appliance that address this hardcoded credential issue and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of such attacks. Additionally, regular configuration reviews and network access control policies should be enforced to prevent unauthorized MAC address spoofing and maintain the integrity of network authentication systems.