CVE-2012-2994 in Endpoint Protector Appliace 4
Summary
by MITRE
The CoSoSys Endpoint Protector 4 appliance establishes an EPProot password based entirely on the appliance serial number, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access via a brute-force attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2024
The CoSoSys Endpoint Protector 4 appliance contains a critical security flaw that fundamentally undermines its access control mechanisms through predictable password generation. This vulnerability stems from the appliance's implementation where the EPProot password is deterministically derived from the device's serial number, creating a deterministic weakness that significantly reduces the effective entropy of the authentication mechanism. The flaw represents a classic cryptographic vulnerability where predictable secrets are generated using easily obtainable system identifiers, making the system susceptible to automated attack vectors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability creates a direct pathway for remote attackers to compromise the appliance through brute-force methodologies. Since the serial number is typically accessible through various network enumeration techniques or can be obtained through physical inspection of the device, attackers can systematically compute the EPProot password without requiring extensive computational resources or sophisticated attack vectors. This predictable password generation directly violates fundamental security principles that require authentication credentials to possess sufficient entropy and randomness to resist automated guessing attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-331 weakness category, which specifically addresses insufficient entropy in random number generation, and represents a clear violation of NIST SP 800-63B guidelines for password strength requirements.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with a foothold that can potentially lead to complete system compromise and data exfiltration. Once an attacker successfully authenticates to the appliance, they gain administrative control over endpoint protection policies, which can be leveraged to disable security controls, modify protection rules, or establish persistent access points within the network. The vulnerability affects organizations that deploy CoSoSys Endpoint Protector 4 appliances for network security management, potentially exposing critical infrastructure to unauthorized modification of endpoint protection policies, which could result in security policy bypasses or complete loss of endpoint protection capabilities. This represents a significant risk to enterprise security posture and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations that address the root cause of this vulnerability through comprehensive password regeneration and entropy enhancement. The primary recommendation involves implementing a robust password generation mechanism that utilizes cryptographically secure random number generators and incorporates multiple entropy sources rather than relying on deterministic system identifiers. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit exposure of the appliance to untrusted networks, while regular monitoring should be established to detect unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of this appliance in their environment and ensure that any affected systems are patched or replaced with versions that implement proper password generation mechanisms. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of avoiding predictable credential generation patterns and emphasizes the need for security controls that adhere to established standards including NIST SP 800-132 and ISO/IEC 27001 requirements for access control management.