CVE-2010-0124 in Employee Timeclock Software
Summary
by MITRE
Employee Timeclock Software 0.99 places the database password on the mysqldump command line, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information by listing the process.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0124 affects Employee Timeclock Software version 0.99, presenting a critical security flaw that exposes database credentials through improper command execution practices. This vulnerability resides in the software's backup mechanism where database passwords are passed directly as command line arguments to the mysqldump utility instead of using secure configuration files or environment variables. The flaw represents a classic security misconfiguration that violates fundamental principles of secure coding and privilege management.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the software's failure to properly sanitize command line arguments when executing database backup operations. When the mysqldump command is invoked with the database password as a direct parameter, the password becomes visible in the process list accessible to any local user with appropriate privileges. This exposure occurs because Unix-like operating systems make command line arguments visible through process enumeration tools such as ps, top, or htop, allowing unauthorized users to capture and extract sensitive authentication credentials from running processes. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-255 Credential Management Issues and CWE-312 Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Process Context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, creating a significant attack surface that enables lateral movement and privilege escalation within compromised systems. Local users who can enumerate running processes gain immediate access to database passwords, potentially allowing them to access not only the timeclock application database but also other systems sharing the same database credentials. Attackers could leverage this information to perform unauthorized database queries, modify time records, access employee data, or even escalate privileges to gain administrative access to the database server itself. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1003 Credential Dumping and T1078 Valid Accounts, as it provides attackers with legitimate authentication credentials for database access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar issues in the future. The most direct fix involves modifying the backup script to utilize MySQL's configuration file approach where credentials are stored in secure files with restricted permissions, or implementing environment variable injection instead of command line arguments. System administrators should also implement process monitoring and alerting to detect unauthorized process enumeration activities, while applying principle of least privilege to database accounts to limit the potential damage from credential exposure. Additional measures include implementing proper logging of database access attempts, conducting regular security audits of command execution patterns, and ensuring that all database connectivity uses secure authentication methods such as SSL/TLS encryption for database connections. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to security standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework.