CVE-2012-2964 in BreakingPoint Storm appliance
Summary
by MITRE
The BreakingPoint Storm appliance before 3.0 requires cleartext credentials for establishing a session from a GUI administrative client, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information by sniffing the network for XML documents.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2024
The CVE-2012-2964 vulnerability affects the BreakingPoint Storm appliance version 3.0 and earlier, presenting a significant security weakness in the appliance's authentication mechanism. This flaw resides in the graphical user interface administrative client implementation where the system fails to encrypt credentials during session establishment. The vulnerability represents a classic example of cleartext credential transmission, where authentication information flows unencrypted across the network, making it susceptible to interception by malicious actors who can monitor network traffic.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the appliance's failure to employ secure communication protocols for administrative sessions. When administrators connect to the BreakingPoint Storm appliance through the GUI client, the system transmits username and password credentials in plaintext format within XML documents. These XML messages contain the authentication data without any form of encryption or integrity protection, creating an attack surface that adversaries can exploit through passive network monitoring techniques. The vulnerability specifically impacts the session establishment phase, where the initial authentication handshake occurs before any secure channel is negotiated, allowing attackers to capture credentials during this critical window.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to obtain sensitive administrative credentials through simple network sniffing operations. The attack requires minimal technical expertise since it relies on standard packet capture tools that can be deployed on the network segment where the appliance operates. Once credentials are obtained, attackers gain full administrative access to the BreakingPoint Storm appliance, which could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or disruption of network security testing operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the administrative interface, which is often accessible from external networks or untrusted segments, amplifying the potential attack surface.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-319 (Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information), both of which address the improper handling of sensitive data in transmission and storage contexts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers can leverage stolen administrative credentials to establish persistent access and potentially escalate privileges. The attack vector falls under T1562.001 (Impair Defenses) since the compromise of administrative credentials effectively disables the appliance's security controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2964 require immediate implementation of network segmentation and encryption controls to prevent unauthorized access to administrative interfaces. Organizations should deploy network monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on cleartext credential transmission, while also implementing mandatory encryption for all administrative sessions. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to BreakingPoint Storm appliance version 3.0 or later, which addresses the vulnerability through proper credential encryption mechanisms. Additionally, network administrators should implement secure remote access solutions such as VPN tunnels or SSH bastion hosts to protect administrative communications, and establish strict access control policies that limit administrative interface exposure to trusted network segments only.