CVE-2004-0583 in Webmin
Summary
by MITRE
The account lockout functionality in (1) Webmin 1.140 and (2) Usermin 1.070 does not parse certain character strings, which allows remote attackers to conduct a brute force attack to guess user IDs and passwords.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-0583 represents a critical flaw in the authentication mechanisms of Webmin and Usermin software versions 1.140 and 1.070 respectively. This issue stems from inadequate input validation within the account lockout functionality, creating a significant security weakness that directly impacts the integrity of user authentication processes. The flaw specifically manifests when the system fails to properly parse certain character strings, which undermines the intended security controls designed to prevent unauthorized access attempts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass the account lockout protection mechanisms through a sophisticated brute force attack approach. When attackers submit malformed character sequences to the authentication system, the software fails to correctly interpret these inputs, leading to the lockout functionality being circumvented. This misinterpretation enables attackers to repeatedly attempt authentication without triggering the expected account lockout measures, effectively nullifying the security controls that should prevent automated password guessing attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a substantial risk for systems running affected versions of Webmin and Usermin, as it directly enables credential stuffing and password brute force attacks. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges, gain persistent access to administrative interfaces, and compromise the entire system infrastructure. Organizations utilizing these software versions face heightened risk of successful compromise, particularly in environments where these tools are exposed to external networks or where default configurations are not properly secured.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper handling of authentication tokens and authentication mechanisms, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1110, which covers Brute Force and Credential Stuffing attacks. Security professionals should recognize this as a critical issue requiring immediate remediation, as the flaw essentially renders the account lockout feature ineffective against well-crafted attack vectors. The weakness essentially provides attackers with a pathway to systematically test multiple username and password combinations without the normal account lockout protections that would typically deter such attempts.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of affected systems to versions that properly address the character string parsing issue, implementation of additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication, and configuration of robust rate limiting mechanisms to prevent excessive login attempts. Organizations should also consider network segmentation to limit exposure of these administrative interfaces and implement comprehensive monitoring to detect unusual authentication patterns. The remediation process must ensure that all affected systems are updated and that proper input validation is implemented to prevent similar issues in future deployments.