CVE-2007-5576 in Weblogic Workshop
Summary
by MITRE
BEA Tuxedo 8.0 before RP392 and 8.1 before RP293, and WebLogic Enterprise 5.1 before RP174, echo the password in cleartext, which allows physically proximate attackers to obtain sensitive information via the (1) cnsbind, (2) cnsunbind, or (3) cnsls commands.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2017
This vulnerability exists in BEA Tuxedo and WebLogic Enterprise application server products where password information is transmitted in cleartext format during specific administrative operations. The flaw affects versions prior to specific release patches including Tuxedo 8.0 before RP392 and 8.1 before RP293, along with WebLogic Enterprise 5.1 before RP174. Attackers with physical proximity to the system can exploit this weakness by intercepting network traffic containing administrative commands that include password credentials. The vulnerability specifically impacts three administrative commands: cnsbind, cnsunbind, and cnsls, which are used for binding, unbinding, and listing operations within the Tuxedo environment. This represents a significant security risk as it violates fundamental principles of secure communication and credential protection. The cleartext transmission of passwords exposes sensitive authentication information to anyone who can capture network packets, making it particularly dangerous in shared or unsecured network environments where physical access may provide attackers with opportunities to intercept traffic.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of authentication credentials within the administrative command processing framework. When administrators execute the affected commands, the system does not encrypt or obfuscate password information before transmission, instead sending it in plain text format across the network. This flaw falls under the category of cleartext transmission of sensitive information and aligns with CWE-312, which specifically addresses the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext transmission. The vulnerability demonstrates poor security design practices where authentication mechanisms fail to implement proper encryption for credential transport, creating an attack surface that can be exploited by adversaries with minimal technical expertise. Network sniffing tools can easily capture these transmissions, allowing attackers to extract password information without requiring sophisticated attack vectors or advanced privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft to potentially enable complete system compromise and unauthorized administrative access. Once an attacker obtains password credentials through cleartext transmission, they can impersonate legitimate administrators and gain full control over the Tuxedo or WebLogic Enterprise environment. This access could lead to data exfiltration, system modification, privilege escalation, and disruption of critical business services. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal attack surface - physical proximity or network access is sufficient to exploit the weakness. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face significant risk of unauthorized access to their enterprise application servers, potentially affecting multiple applications and services that depend on the affected platforms. The impact is amplified in environments where these systems are deployed without proper network segmentation or additional security controls to protect against packet interception.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching and deployment of the vendor-supplied security updates that address the cleartext transmission issue. Organizations must ensure all affected systems are updated to versions that properly encrypt authentication credentials during administrative operations. Network-level protections such as VPN tunnels or encrypted communication channels should be implemented to provide additional defense in depth. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual administrative activity patterns that might indicate credential compromise. The implementation of strong authentication mechanisms including multi-factor authentication and privilege separation can help reduce the impact if credentials are compromised. Organizations should also consider network segmentation to isolate critical application servers from less secure network segments where interception attacks might occur. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation, specifically targeting the credential dumping and legitimate credential use phases of an attack lifecycle. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be performed to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in other application components and systems.