CVE-2008-4905 in Typo
Summary
by MITRE
Typo 5.1.3 and earlier uses a hard-coded salt for calculating password hashes, which makes it easier for attackers to guess passwords via a brute force attack.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4905 affects Typo versions 5.1.3 and earlier, presenting a critical weakness in the password hashing mechanism that significantly undermines system security. This flaw resides in the implementation of cryptographic practices within the application's authentication framework, where developers inadvertently embedded a fixed salt value directly into the code rather than generating dynamic salts for each password hash. The use of hard-coded salts represents a fundamental deviation from established security best practices and creates a predictable environment that adversaries can exploit to accelerate password recovery attempts.
The technical flaw stems from the cryptographic implementation where password hashes are generated using a static salt value that remains unchanged across all user accounts. This approach eliminates the primary security benefit that salts provide in cryptographic systems, which is to ensure that identical passwords produce different hash outputs. When attackers obtain password hashes through various means such as database breaches or network interception, they can employ pre-computed rainbow tables or conduct targeted brute force attacks against the known salt value. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-327, which addresses the use of weak cryptography, and specifically relates to CWE-328, which covers the use of a predictable salt in password hashing. The predictable nature of the salt value means that attackers can pre-compute hash values for common passwords using the fixed salt, dramatically reducing the computational effort required to crack multiple accounts simultaneously.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond individual account compromise to affect the entire security posture of systems running affected Typo versions. Attackers can leverage the predictable hashing mechanism to perform efficient brute force attacks against multiple user accounts, potentially gaining unauthorized access to administrative functions, user data, and sensitive system resources. This weakness is particularly dangerous in environments where users employ common or easily guessable passwords, as the combination of weak passwords and predictable hashing creates a perfect storm for successful authentication attacks. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1110.003, which describes credential stuffing attacks, and T1212, which covers exploitation of software vulnerabilities to obtain credentials. Organizations using affected software may experience cascading security failures, as compromised accounts can serve as entry points for lateral movement and further system infiltration.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-4905 require immediate implementation of proper cryptographic practices that address the root cause of the vulnerability. The most critical remediation involves updating to Typo versions that implement dynamic salt generation for password hashing, ensuring that each password receives a unique salt value. Security administrators should also implement additional protective measures including multi-factor authentication, account lockout policies, and regular security audits to detect unauthorized access attempts. Organizations must review their password policies to enforce stronger password requirements and consider implementing password complexity rules that reduce the effectiveness of brute force attacks. The fix should incorporate industry-standard cryptographic libraries that properly handle salt generation and ensure that all password hashing operations use cryptographically secure random number generators for salt creation. Compliance with standards such as NIST SP 800-63B for digital identity management and OWASP Top Ten security practices should guide the implementation of these security enhancements to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future deployments.