CVE-2005-1387 in cocktail
Summary
by MITRE
cocktail 3.5.4 and possibly earlier in mac os x passes the administrative password on the command line to sudo in cleartext which allows local users to gain sensitive information by running listing processes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1387 affects the cocktail software version 3.5.4 and potentially earlier versions on macOS systems. This security flaw represents a critical misconfiguration in how administrative credentials are handled during system operations. The issue manifests when the cocktail application invokes the sudo command to elevate privileges, but inadvertently exposes the administrative password as a command-line argument rather than using secure authentication mechanisms. This practice creates a significant security risk by violating fundamental principles of credential handling and system security.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the improper use of command-line arguments for passing sensitive information. When cocktail executes sudo commands, it includes the administrative password as a direct argument on the command line, which makes the password visible to any process that can enumerate command-line parameters. This flaw aligns with CWE-256, which addresses the weakness of storing or transmitting passwords in cleartext, and specifically relates to CWE-312, which covers the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext storage or transmission. The command-line argument approach also violates the principle of least privilege and secure credential management practices that are fundamental to operating system security.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability allows local users to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information through simple process enumeration techniques. Any user with access to the system can potentially discover the administrative password by viewing running processes, examining process arguments, or using system monitoring tools. This exposure creates a pathway for privilege escalation attacks where malicious users can leverage the discovered credentials to perform unauthorized administrative actions. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it provides attackers with the means to compromise system integrity and potentially escalate their privileges to full administrative control. This vulnerability represents a classic example of how insecure credential handling can undermine the security of entire systems.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability involve immediate code modifications to eliminate the cleartext password transmission pattern. System administrators should update to the latest version of cocktail where this issue has been resolved, typically through implementation of secure credential passing mechanisms such as environment variables, configuration files with restricted permissions, or secure authentication protocols that do not expose passwords in command-line arguments. Organizations should also implement process monitoring and alerting systems to detect suspicious command-line argument patterns that might indicate similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and adheres to ATT&CK technique T1555.003, which covers credentials from password stores, as attackers can exploit such cleartext exposures to gain access to system credentials and elevate their privileges within the operating system environment.