CVE-2005-2845 in Ariba Spend Management Solutions
Summary
by MITRE
Ariba Spend Management System sends the username and password to the server in plaintext in a POST request, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2017
The Ariba Spend Management System vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that exposes authentication credentials through unencrypted transmission channels. This weakness fundamentally undermines the system's ability to protect sensitive user information by transmitting authentication data in plaintext format. The vulnerability specifically affects the communication protocol used by the system when processing user login requests, creating an exploitable vector for malicious actors to intercept and access confidential authentication information. The flaw exists within the application's network communication layer where it fails to implement proper encryption mechanisms for sensitive data transmission.
This technical vulnerability falls under the category of insufficient transport layer protection, which is classified as CWE-319 and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol. The system's failure to encrypt authentication credentials during transmission creates a direct pathway for man-in-the-middle attacks and eavesdropping operations. When users submit their login information through the POST request mechanism, the username and password are transmitted without any form of encryption or obfuscation, making them immediately readable to anyone who can intercept the network traffic. This design flaw directly violates fundamental security principles for protecting sensitive information in transit.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft to encompass broader security implications for organizations using the Ariba platform. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to user accounts, potentially leading to full system compromise and data breaches. The plaintext transmission of credentials enables attackers to perform credential stuffing attacks, account takeover operations, and unauthorized access to financial and procurement data. Organizations may face significant regulatory compliance issues, financial losses, and reputational damage when such vulnerabilities are exploited, particularly in industries governed by standards like SOX, PCI DSS, or HIPAA.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of secure communication protocols including the deployment of SSL/TLS encryption for all network communications. Organizations should enforce mandatory encryption for all authentication-related traffic and implement proper certificate management practices to ensure secure data transmission. Network administrators must configure the system to reject plaintext authentication requests and enforce secure communication channels through proper configuration management. The solution involves upgrading the application's communication stack to utilize encrypted protocols, implementing proper certificate validation, and establishing network monitoring to detect and prevent unencrypted traffic attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that encryption mechanisms are properly functioning and that no regressions have occurred in the system's security posture. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability.