CVE-2010-0616 in evalSMSI
Summary
by MITRE
evalSMSI 2.1.03 stores passwords in cleartext in the database, which allows attackers with database access to gain privileges. NOTE: remote attack vectors are possible by leveraging a separate SQL injection vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2026
The evalSMSI 2.1.03 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in how password credentials are stored within the application's database infrastructure. This weakness stems from the application's failure to implement proper cryptographic protection for user authentication data, specifically storing passwords in plain text format rather than utilizing industry-standard hashing or encryption mechanisms. The vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with CWE-312, which categorizes insecure storage of sensitive data as a critical weakness. When attackers gain access to the database through legitimate means or exploit other vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, they can immediately extract all stored passwords without any additional computational overhead, effectively compromising every user account within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it creates a persistent backdoor for attackers who can leverage the cleartext passwords to escalate privileges and maintain long-term access to the compromised system. This weakness enables attackers to move laterally within the network infrastructure, potentially accessing additional systems where users may have reused passwords, creating a cascading security failure. The vulnerability's remote exploitability through SQL injection demonstrates how a single implementation flaw can create multiple attack vectors, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploitation of remote services and T1078 for valid accounts usage. Organizations using evalSMSI 2.0.03 or earlier versions face significant risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information and potential system compromise, as the cleartext storage makes password recovery trivial for any attacker with database access privileges.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires immediate implementation of proper password hashing mechanisms using industry-standard algorithms such as bcrypt, scrypt, or PBKDF2, which are recommended by NIST Special Publication 800-63B for password storage. Database administrators must ensure that all password fields are encrypted using strong cryptographic methods before storage, and that the application enforces proper access controls to limit database access to authorized personnel only. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation, database activity monitoring, and regular security audits to detect unauthorized access attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication to provide additional security layers beyond password-based authentication, as outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure coding practices and proper security architecture design, particularly in applications handling user authentication data, and serves as a reminder of the critical need for regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes to prevent similar issues from occurring in other systems.