CVE-2005-1900 in Sawmill
Summary
by MITRE
Sawmill before 7.1.6 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and (1) gain administrative privileges or (2) add a license.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1900 affects Sawmill versions prior to 7.1.6 and represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that exposes the system to unauthorized administrative access. This vulnerability resides in the software's authentication mechanisms and allows remote attackers to escalate privileges without proper credentials. The flaw specifically enables adversaries to either assume administrative control over the system or manipulate licensing components, both of which constitute severe security breaches that can lead to complete system compromise.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and authentication checks within the Sawmill application's privilege management system. Attackers can exploit this weakness to circumvent the normal authentication process that should verify user credentials before granting access to administrative functions or license modification capabilities. This type of vulnerability typically arises from inadequate session management, flawed access control logic, or missing security checks in the application's core authentication routines. The vulnerability falls under CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, specifically targeting weak or bypassable authentication mechanisms that allow unauthorized access to privileged functions.
The operational impact of CVE-2005-1900 is substantial as it provides attackers with direct pathways to administrative control over the affected system. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can execute arbitrary commands with full administrative privileges, potentially leading to data theft, system modification, or complete system takeover. The ability to add or modify licenses also creates additional attack vectors where adversaries might attempt to extend software usage beyond legitimate bounds or potentially create persistent access mechanisms. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system, making it a critical concern for organizations relying on Sawmill for log management and security monitoring.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to Sawmill version 7.1.6 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the authentication bypass flaw. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the Sawmill service to trusted networks only. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious authentication attempts and license modifications should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and credential access phases, making it a significant concern for defensive security operations. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar authentication bypass issues in other enterprise applications and systems.