CVE-2006-6435 in WorkCentre
Summary
by MITRE
The SNMP implementation in Xerox WorkCentre and WorkCentre Pro before 12.050.03.000, 13.x before 13.050.03.000, and 14.x before 14.050.03.000 does not generate authentication failure traps, which allows remote attackers to more easily gain system access and obtain sensitive information via a brute force attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-6435 affects the Simple Network Management Protocol implementation within Xerox WorkCentre and WorkCentre Pro multifunction devices across multiple firmware versions. This weakness represents a critical security flaw in network management infrastructure that significantly impacts the device's ability to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts. The affected versions include all releases prior to 12.050.03.000, 13.x versions before 13.050.03.000, and 14.x versions before 14.050.03.000, indicating a widespread issue affecting multiple generations of these enterprise printing solutions.
The technical flaw lies in the SNMP implementation's failure to generate authentication failure traps when unauthorized access attempts occur. This omission creates a significant blind spot in the device's security monitoring capabilities, as legitimate security events that should trigger immediate alerts are not being reported to network management systems. According to CWE-310, this represents a weakness in cryptographic key generation or management, specifically in the failure to properly handle authentication failures within network protocols. The absence of authentication failure traps fundamentally undermines the device's ability to provide meaningful security logging and alerting functionality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and directly enables brute force attack success rates for remote attackers. Without proper authentication failure notifications, attackers can conduct systematic password guessing or credential brute force attempts without detection, as the network management infrastructure remains unaware of ongoing unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1110.003, which describes credential inference through password guessing, and T1078.004, which covers valid accounts used for lateral movement. The lack of monitoring mechanisms allows attackers to persistently attempt multiple credential combinations until successful access is achieved, significantly reducing the time required to compromise the device.
The implications extend beyond simple unauthorized access, as these devices typically contain sensitive information including user credentials, network configurations, and potentially confidential print jobs. The vulnerability creates an environment where attackers can systematically work toward gaining administrative privileges, potentially leading to complete device compromise and access to connected network resources. Organizations relying on these devices for document management and network operations face increased risk of data breaches and unauthorized network access. The vulnerability also impacts compliance requirements for network security monitoring and incident response, as the lack of proper authentication failure logging violates standard security practices outlined in frameworks such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate firmware updates to versions that properly implement authentication failure trap generation. Network administrators should also implement additional monitoring controls including network traffic analysis to detect unusual authentication patterns, enforce strong password policies, and implement account lockout mechanisms. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper logging and alerting mechanisms within network infrastructure devices, as highlighted in security standards such as ISO 27005 and NIST SP 800-92, which emphasize the need for comprehensive security event logging and monitoring capabilities.