CVE-2011-4747 in Plesk Panel
Summary
by MITRE
The billing system for Parallels Plesk Panel 10.3.1_build1013110726.09 does not prevent the use of weak ciphers for SSL sessions, which makes it easier for remote attackers to defeat cryptographic protection mechanisms via a crafted CipherSuite list.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-4747 affects the billing system component of Parallels Plesk Panel version 10.3.1_build1013110726.09, representing a significant weakness in the platform's cryptographic security implementation. This issue stems from the system's failure to properly enforce strong cipher suites during SSL session establishment, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the configuration and undermine the intended security protections. The vulnerability specifically targets the SSL/TLS protocol implementation within the billing system, which is critical for processing financial transactions and handling sensitive customer data.
The technical flaw manifests as a lack of proper cipher suite validation within the SSL session negotiation process. When clients attempt to establish secure connections with the billing system, the server accepts weak cipher suites that do not meet modern security standards. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by negotiating connections using deprecated or insecure cryptographic algorithms that have known vulnerabilities. The vulnerability falls under the category of weak cryptographic algorithms and improper security configuration as defined by CWE-327, which specifically addresses the use of weak or broken cryptographic algorithms in security systems. The implementation allows for the acceptance of cipher suites that are susceptible to various attacks including those that exploit known weaknesses in encryption protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple cryptographic weakness, as it directly compromises the integrity and confidentiality of billing transactions within the Plesk Panel environment. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept and potentially modify financial data transmitted between clients and the billing system, leading to unauthorized access to payment information, account details, and other sensitive financial data. The vulnerability creates an attack surface that can be leveraged for financial fraud, data theft, and potentially broader system compromise. This weakness is particularly concerning in a billing system context where the exposure of transaction data could result in significant financial loss and regulatory compliance violations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-4747 should focus on strengthening the SSL/TLS configuration to prevent the use of weak cipher suites and enforce modern cryptographic standards. Organizations should implement strict cipher suite policies that disable weak algorithms and prioritize strong encryption protocols such as TLS 1.2 or higher with robust key exchange mechanisms. The system configuration should be updated to explicitly reject weak cipher suites including those using export-grade encryption, DES, RC4, and other deprecated algorithms. Security administrators should also consider implementing automated monitoring solutions to detect and alert on the use of insecure cipher suites, aligning with the defensive measures recommended in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the credential access and defense evasion tactics. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security configurations and regularly auditing cryptographic implementations to prevent exploitation by threat actors who specifically target weak encryption mechanisms in web applications and billing systems.