CVE-2005-1552 in Digital Surveillance System
Summary
by MITRE
GeoVision Digital Video Surveillance System 6.04, 6.1 and 7.0, when set to create JPEG images, does not properly protect an image even when a password and username is assigned, which may allow remote attackers to gain sensitive information via a direct request to the image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/01/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1552 affects the GeoVision Digital Video Surveillance System versions 6.04, 6.1, and 7.0, specifically when the system is configured to generate JPEG image files. This represents a critical security flaw that undermines the fundamental security assumptions of the surveillance system. The issue manifests when the system fails to properly enforce authentication mechanisms even when username and password protection has been configured for the image files. This vulnerability falls under the category of inadequate access control as defined by CWE-284, where the system does not properly restrict access to protected resources. The flaw essentially creates a situation where authenticated users can bypass the intended access controls, exposing sensitive surveillance imagery to unauthorized parties.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the system's improper handling of image file access requests. When the surveillance system generates JPEG images, it fails to validate authentication credentials before serving the image files. This means that any remote attacker who knows the specific URL pattern or can predict the image file naming convention can directly request and retrieve protected surveillance images without proper authentication. The system's architecture appears to have a logic flaw in its access control implementation where the authentication check occurs at an inappropriate layer or is completely omitted for image delivery. This type of vulnerability is classified as a privilege escalation issue under ATT&CK framework category T1078, where an attacker gains access to resources they should not be able to access. The flaw is particularly concerning because it affects the core functionality of a security system designed to protect sensitive environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted across multiple security domains. Organizations relying on GeoVision surveillance systems for security monitoring face significant risks including unauthorized access to sensitive surveillance footage that may contain confidential information about their premises, personnel, or operations. The exposure of surveillance imagery could lead to privacy violations, security breaches, and potential misuse of sensitive information in criminal activities. The vulnerability also affects the integrity of the security infrastructure, as it undermines the trust in the system's access controls and authentication mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to gather intelligence about physical security measures, identify security gaps, and potentially plan further attacks. This represents a classic case of information disclosure vulnerability that can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring physical access to the system or network.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate system hardening and access control reinforcement. Organizations should implement proper authentication checks at all levels of the application, particularly for image delivery mechanisms. The system configuration should be reviewed to ensure that all generated content, especially surveillance imagery, requires proper authentication before access. Network-level protections such as firewalls and access control lists should be implemented to restrict direct access to image endpoints. Additionally, the system should be updated to a newer version of GeoVision software that addresses this specific flaw. Regular security audits should be conducted to identify similar access control vulnerabilities in other components of the surveillance infrastructure. The implementation of secure coding practices and proper input validation should be enforced to prevent similar issues in future system development. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to surveillance system resources, which aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 for network service scanning and T1078 for valid accounts.