CVE-2008-2368 in Certificate System
Summary
by MITRE
Red Hat Certificate System 7.2 stores passwords in cleartext in the UserDirEnrollment log, the RA wizard installer log, and unspecified other debug log files, and uses weak permissions for these files, which allows local users to discover passwords by reading the files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-2368 represents a critical security flaw within Red Hat Certificate System version 7.2, specifically targeting the system's handling of sensitive authentication credentials. This issue manifests through the improper storage of passwords in plaintext format within multiple log files, creating an exploitable condition that undermines the fundamental security posture of the certificate management infrastructure. The affected system components include the UserDirEnrollment log, RA wizard installer log, and additional unspecified debug log files that are generated during normal system operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate security controls during log file creation and management processes. When the certificate system generates logs containing user authentication information, it fails to implement proper encryption or obfuscation mechanisms, resulting in cleartext password exposure. The weakness extends beyond mere storage practices to include the use of weak file permissions that allow unauthorized local access to these sensitive log files. This combination of plaintext storage and insufficient access controls creates a direct path for privilege escalation and credential theft attacks.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly increases the attack surface for local adversaries who can leverage the cleartext passwords to gain unauthorized access to certificate system resources. The exposure of passwords in debug logs compromises not only individual user accounts but also potentially administrative credentials that could enable broader system compromise. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to perform lateral movement within the network, escalate privileges, and potentially gain access to other systems that trust the certificate infrastructure. The impact extends beyond immediate credential compromise to include potential certificate forgery and man-in-the-middle attack capabilities.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) within the CWE catalog, highlighting the fundamental security misconfigurations that enable this flaw. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers can leverage stolen credentials for persistent access and further exploitation. The weakness also relates to T1552 (Unsecured Credentials) and T1003 (OS Credential Dumping) techniques that attackers might employ to extract and utilize the exposed passwords.
Effective mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of multiple security controls. Organizations must ensure that all log files containing sensitive information are encrypted at rest and that appropriate file permissions are enforced to restrict access to authorized personnel only. The certificate system should be configured to either disable debug logging of authentication information or implement proper obfuscation mechanisms for password fields. Regular security audits should verify that log file permissions are correctly configured and that sensitive information is not inadvertently exposed in system logs. Additionally, implementing centralized log management solutions with proper access controls and monitoring capabilities can help detect and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information stored in log files.