CVE-2006-5474 in OneOrZero Helpdesk
Summary
by MITRE
The "forgot password" function in OneOrZero Helpdesk before 1.6.5.4 generates insecure passwords by concatenating the current timestamp with the username, which allows remote attackers to gain access as an arbitrary user by requesting a password reset.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-5474 represents a critical weakness in the authentication mechanism of OneOrZero Helpdesk software prior to version 1.6.5.4. This flaw specifically targets the password reset functionality, which is a fundamental security component designed to help users regain access to their accounts when they forget their credentials. The vulnerability stems from a predictable and insecure password generation algorithm that fundamentally undermines the security posture of the system by creating easily guessable temporary passwords.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the concatenation of a timestamp with the username to create the temporary password. This approach violates fundamental cryptographic principles and security best practices for password generation. The timestamp component provides attackers with a narrow window of opportunity to predict the generated password, while the username component is typically easily obtainable through social engineering or reconnaissance activities. This combination creates a highly predictable password that can be computed by an attacker within minutes of observing a password reset request.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it allows remote attackers to assume the identity of any user within the system without requiring authentication credentials. This represents a privilege escalation vulnerability that can be exploited from any location, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments. The attack vector is straightforward and does not require sophisticated techniques, as attackers only need to observe a password reset request and then compute the predictable password within the limited time window provided by the timestamp. This vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor for unauthorized access to user accounts and potentially the entire helpdesk system.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-330 Use of Insufficiently Random Values, which specifically addresses the use of weak random or pseudo-random number generators in security-critical applications. The concatenation of timestamp and username data creates a predictable sequence that fails to meet minimum security requirements for temporary password generation. Additionally, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for credential access through social engineering and T1531 for privilege escalation through account takeover. The flaw also demonstrates poor adherence to security principle of least privilege, as the system grants access to any user account through a single predictable password generation mechanism.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability include immediate upgrading to version 1.6.5.4 or later, which presumably implements secure password generation algorithms. Organizations should implement cryptographically secure random number generators for temporary password creation, ensuring that generated passwords contain sufficient entropy to resist prediction attacks. The system should also implement rate limiting and monitoring for password reset requests to detect and prevent automated exploitation attempts. Additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication should be implemented to provide defense in depth, while logging and alerting mechanisms should be configured to detect suspicious password reset activities. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper cryptographic implementation and the critical need for security reviews of authentication mechanisms before deployment.