CVE-2004-1625 in pGina
Summary
by MITRE
pGina 1.7.6 and possibly older versions, when the Restart or Shutdown options are enabled on the login screen, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by connecting via Remote Desktop and clicking restart or shutdown.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1625 affects pGina version 1.7.6 and potentially earlier releases, presenting a significant security weakness in the authentication and system management components of this software. This flaw specifically manifests when the Restart or Shutdown options are enabled on the login screen, creating an exploitable condition that remote attackers can leverage for malicious purposes. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the pGina authentication framework, which fails to properly restrict system-level operations from remote connections.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) interface within pGina, where attackers can establish remote connections and interact directly with the login screen components. When the Restart or Shutdown functions are enabled, the software does not properly validate the source of these commands or implement adequate authorization checks before executing system-level operations. This allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to trigger critical system functions through legitimate RDP sessions, bypassing normal security controls that would typically prevent such operations from being initiated remotely. The flaw operates at the application layer of the network stack, leveraging the existing RDP infrastructure to execute malicious actions without proper authentication or authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as it represents a potential vector for more sophisticated attacks that could compromise system integrity and availability. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to repeatedly initiate restart or shutdown operations, potentially causing system instability, data loss, or service disruption that could affect business continuity. The vulnerability particularly affects systems where pGina is deployed as a primary authentication solution, as it undermines the fundamental security assumptions of the login process and creates opportunities for attackers to disrupt normal operations. This issue is classified under CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, highlighting the potential for attackers to leverage remote desktop protocols for system disruption.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate configuration changes to disable Restart and Shutdown options on login screens when using pGina, as well as implementing network-level access controls to restrict RDP connections to trusted sources only. System administrators should also consider deploying network segmentation measures to limit access to authentication services and implement proper firewall rules that restrict remote desktop access to authorized personnel only. Additionally, upgrading to newer versions of pGina where this vulnerability has been addressed represents the most effective long-term solution, as these releases typically include enhanced access control mechanisms and proper input validation for system-level operations. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions that can detect unusual restart or shutdown patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and establish incident response procedures specifically designed to address remote desktop protocol-based attacks targeting authentication systems. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of proper access control implementation in authentication software and the critical need for security testing of remote management features.