CVE-2005-0964 in personal firewall
Summary
by MITRE
unknown vulnerability in kerio personal firewall 4.1.2 and earlier allows local users to bypass firewall rules via a malicious process that impersonates a legitimate process that has fewer restrictions.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-0964 represents a critical security flaw within Kerio Personal Firewall version 4.1.2 and earlier implementations that fundamentally undermines the integrity of local access controls. This issue stems from insufficient process validation mechanisms that fail to properly authenticate the legitimacy of processes attempting to traverse firewall boundaries. The vulnerability operates through a sophisticated impersonation technique where malicious actors can craft processes that mimic legitimate system components, thereby exploiting the firewall's trust-based validation system. Such a flaw directly violates fundamental security principles of process isolation and privilege separation that are essential for maintaining network security boundaries.
From a technical perspective, the vulnerability manifests as a weakness in the firewall's process identification and authorization framework where the system relies on process name or identifier matching rather than comprehensive authentication mechanisms. The flaw allows attackers to create or manipulate processes that appear to belong to trusted system components, effectively bypassing the restrictive policies that should normally prevent unauthorized network access. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of privilege escalation and access control bypass mechanisms, with specific characteristics aligning with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control vulnerabilities. The underlying technical issue stems from the firewall's failure to implement robust process validation that would verify not just the name of a process but its actual identity, permissions, and integrity status.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple rule bypass to potentially enable comprehensive network reconnaissance and lateral movement within compromised systems. Local attackers can leverage this flaw to circumvent firewall protections that are designed to restrict network traffic based on process identity, effectively creating a backdoor for persistent access to network resources. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where personal firewalls are often deployed as additional security layers, as this vulnerability allows attackers to undermine the security posture provided by these protective mechanisms. The attack vector specifically targets the local privilege escalation domain, enabling adversaries to maintain persistent access while evading detection mechanisms that would normally flag unauthorized network activity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate exposure and the underlying architectural weakness in the firewall's process validation system. Organizations should immediately upgrade to Kerio Personal Firewall versions that have addressed this vulnerability through enhanced process authentication mechanisms and implementation of more robust identity verification protocols. Security measures should include regular process monitoring to detect suspicious impersonation activities, implementation of additional host-based intrusion detection systems, and comprehensive security auditing of firewall configurations. The remediation process should also incorporate principle of least privilege enforcement, ensuring that even if impersonation occurs, the malicious processes would not have elevated privileges sufficient to cause significant damage. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms for process validation, aligning with best practices recommended in cybersecurity frameworks that emphasize defense in depth strategies and layered security controls.
The broader implications of CVE-2005-0964 highlight the persistent challenges in implementing effective local access controls and process validation within network security solutions. This vulnerability represents a classic example of how trust-based security models can be subverted through process impersonation techniques, a method frequently employed by attackers to evade detection and maintain access. The flaw's classification within the ATT&CK framework would likely map to techniques involving process injection and privilege escalation, emphasizing the need for comprehensive endpoint protection strategies that go beyond traditional firewall rules. Organizations must recognize that vulnerabilities of this nature often serve as entry points for more sophisticated attacks, making immediate remediation essential for maintaining overall security posture and preventing potential exploitation chains that could lead to complete system compromise.