CVE-2005-0506 in IP Office Phone Manager
Summary
by MITRE
The Avaya IP Office Phone Manager, and other products such as the IP Softphone, stores sensitive data in cleartext in a registry key, which allows local and possibly remote users to steal usernames and passwords and impersonate other users via keys such as Avaya\IP400\Generic.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/21/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-0506 represents a critical security flaw in Avaya's IP Office Phone Manager and related IP Softphone applications. This weakness stems from improper data handling practices where sensitive authentication credentials are stored in an unencrypted format within the Windows registry. The affected registry key structure at Avaya\IP400\Generic serves as a persistent storage location for user credentials, making them accessible to any process or user with sufficient privileges to read the registry entries. This design flaw directly violates fundamental security principles regarding credential storage and access control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exposes the underlying system to multiple attack vectors that can be exploited by both local and remote adversaries. Attackers with access to the target system can leverage registry reading capabilities to extract stored usernames and passwords without requiring additional authentication mechanisms. The cleartext storage approach eliminates any form of encryption or obfuscation that would normally protect sensitive data, creating an environment where credential theft becomes trivial. This vulnerability operates at the application level within the Windows operating system, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses higher-level security controls and protocols that might otherwise protect against unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft to encompass full user impersonation capabilities and potential privilege escalation scenarios. Once attackers obtain the stored credentials, they can authenticate as legitimate users within the Avaya system, potentially gaining access to sensitive communications, call routing configurations, and other privileged system functions. The local nature of the vulnerability means that any user with registry access can exploit this weakness, while the potential for remote exploitation suggests that network-based attacks could also compromise systems. This vulnerability undermines the integrity of the entire communication infrastructure, as attackers can manipulate call flows, access voicemail systems, and potentially intercept sensitive conversations.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and represents a classic example of poor secure coding practices. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a credential access technique, specifically involving the use of registry keys for credential storage and retrieval. Organizations implementing Avaya IP Office systems face significant risk exposure, particularly in environments where physical access controls are inadequate or network segmentation is insufficient. The vulnerability's persistence in the registry makes it particularly challenging to remediate, as it requires both application-level fixes and system-level configuration changes to properly address the root cause. Security professionals should implement immediate mitigation strategies including registry permissions hardening, credential rotation, and monitoring for unauthorized registry access attempts.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires addressing both the immediate security gap and implementing long-term protective measures. Organizations must ensure that registry keys containing sensitive data are properly secured through access control lists and privilege restrictions. Application developers should implement proper encryption mechanisms for credential storage, moving away from cleartext approaches entirely. System administrators should conduct regular audits of registry entries to detect unauthorized modifications and implement monitoring solutions to alert on suspicious registry access patterns. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and privilege separation to limit the potential impact of credential theft, as the vulnerability's exploitation can lead to broader system compromise when combined with other attack vectors.