CVE-2005-4626 in Recruitment Software
Summary
by MITRE
The default configuration of Recruitment Software installs admin/site.xml under the web document root with insufficient access control, which might allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information (MySQL database credentials) via a direct request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/05/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4626 represents a critical misconfiguration issue within recruitment software installations that exposes sensitive database credentials through improper file access controls. This flaw exists in the default deployment configuration where the admin/site.xml file containing MySQL database authentication details is placed within the web document root directory. The configuration creates an exploitable path where remote attackers can directly request this file through HTTP, bypassing normal authentication mechanisms and gaining access to database connection parameters that are typically protected within application security boundaries.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access control implementation and poor security hardening practices during software deployment. The admin/site.xml file contains database credentials that are essential for application functionality but should never be exposed to unauthorized users through web-accessible directories. This misconfiguration violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and defense in depth, as sensitive configuration files are placed in locations where they can be accessed by any user with network connectivity to the web server. The vulnerability specifically relates to CWE-276, which addresses incorrect access control, and represents a classic case of insecure file permissions and directory structure configuration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with immediate access to database credentials without requiring any authentication or exploitation techniques beyond simple HTTP requests. Once obtained, these credentials can be used to establish direct database connections, potentially allowing for data exfiltration, modification of recruitment records, or even complete database compromise. Attackers can leverage this information to perform unauthorized data access, manipulate recruitment data, or use the database credentials for lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects organizations using the specific recruitment software version and demonstrates the critical importance of proper configuration management and security hardening practices.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must focus on immediate remediation through proper file access control implementation. Organizations should relocate the admin/site.xml file outside of the web document root directory and ensure that sensitive configuration files are properly secured with appropriate file permissions. Network segmentation and web server configuration hardening should be implemented to prevent direct access to sensitive files. Additionally, regular security audits should verify that configuration files containing credentials are not exposed through web-accessible paths. This vulnerability underscores the necessity of following security best practices including the principle of least privilege, proper file permission management, and comprehensive security testing during software deployment. The incident highlights the importance of automated security scanning tools that can detect such misconfigurations and the implementation of security awareness training for system administrators to prevent similar issues in future deployments.