CVE-2005-1606 in winbox
Summary
by MITRE
h-sphere winbox 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 rc1 stores sensitive information such as username and password in plaintext in world-readable log files which allows local users to gain privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1606 affects h-sphere winbox versions 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 rc1, representing a critical security flaw in the authentication handling mechanisms of this web-based control panel. This issue manifests through improper handling of sensitive credentials during system operations, where authentication data including usernames and passwords are written to log files with world-readable permissions. The flaw stems from inadequate access control measures during log file creation and management processes, allowing any local user on the system to access these sensitive records without authentication. This represents a fundamental failure in the principle of least privilege and proper credential handling practices.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's logging subsystem writing authentication credentials to disk without appropriate file permission controls. When users interact with the h-sphere winbox interface, the system creates log entries that contain plaintext credentials, which are then stored in files accessible to all users on the system. The world-readable permissions on these log files create an inherent security weakness where local privilege escalation becomes trivial for any user who can access the filesystem. This flaw operates at the file system level and demonstrates poor security engineering practices in credential storage and logging operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables local users to gain unauthorized access to administrative accounts and potentially escalate privileges within the system. An attacker with local access can simply browse to the log file locations and extract username and password combinations, which can then be used to authenticate as legitimate users or administrators. This vulnerability directly enables privilege escalation attacks and can lead to complete system compromise, as the extracted credentials often provide access to critical system resources and administrative functions. The impact extends beyond simple credential theft to include potential data breaches, system manipulation, and unauthorized access to sensitive organizational information.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-312 (CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-276 (CWE-276: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) classifications, representing a clear violation of security best practices for credential management. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1548.001 (Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism) techniques, as it provides attackers with legitimate credentials that can be used to bypass access controls and escalate privileges. The vulnerability also relates to T1003 (OS Credential Dumping) as it provides an alternative method for credential extraction without requiring sophisticated exploitation techniques.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper file permission controls on log files containing sensitive information. System administrators should ensure that log files are created with restrictive permissions, typically limiting access to the owner and system administrators only. The application should be updated to version 2.4.3 rc2 or later, which includes fixes for this specific issue. Additionally, organizations should implement centralized logging solutions with proper access controls, disable unnecessary logging of authentication credentials, and establish regular monitoring of file permissions to prevent similar issues. Security audits should include verification of log file permissions and credential handling practices to ensure compliance with security standards and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.