CVE-2012-3006 in mGuard PCI
Summary
by MITRE
The Innominate mGuard Smart HW before HW-101130 and BD before BD-101030, mGuard industrial RS, mGuard delta HW before HW-103060 and BD before BD-211010, mGuard PCI, mGuard blade, and EAGLE mGuard appliances with software before 7.5.0 do not use a sufficient source of entropy for private keys, which makes it easier for man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof (1) HTTPS or (2) SSH servers by predicting a key value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-3006 affects a range of network security appliances manufactured by Innominate, specifically targeting their mGuard Smart HW, mGuard industrial RS, mGuard delta HW, mGuard PCI, mGuard blade, and EAGLE mGuard devices. These appliances operate with firmware versions prior to specific thresholds including HW-101130, BD-101030, HW-103060, BD-211010, and software versions before 7.5.0. The core issue lies in the insufficient entropy sources used during the generation of private cryptographic keys, creating a fundamental weakness in the security infrastructure of these industrial network security devices. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity of critical security protocols including HTTPS and SSH communications, making the affected systems susceptible to sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks.
The technical flaw stems from poor random number generation practices within the cryptographic key generation process of these appliances. When cryptographic keys are generated using insufficient entropy, they become predictable or reproducible through mathematical analysis and pattern recognition techniques. This weakness allows attackers to potentially reverse-engineer private keys, which are essential components for establishing secure communications channels. The vulnerability creates a situation where attackers can successfully impersonate legitimate servers, intercept and modify communications, and compromise the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted through HTTPS and SSH protocols. The predictability of these keys essentially undermines the entire cryptographic foundation that these security appliances are designed to protect.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to industrial environments that rely on these security appliances for network protection. The affected devices are commonly deployed in critical infrastructure settings where maintaining secure communications is paramount, including power grids, water treatment facilities, and other industrial control systems. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to sensitive networks, potentially leading to system compromise, data exfiltration, or disruption of critical operations. The man-in-the-middle attack vector is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to remain undetected while intercepting and manipulating communications between legitimate parties. This vulnerability also aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1566 for credential access through network sniffing and T1071 for application layer protocol usage, making it a significant concern for organizations implementing security controls.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate security breaches to encompass broader operational risks within industrial environments. Organizations using these affected appliances face potential regulatory compliance issues, as many industries require robust cryptographic implementations to protect sensitive data and maintain operational continuity. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor adherence to established cryptographic best practices, as proper key generation should utilize high-quality entropy sources to ensure unpredictability and resistance to cryptographic attacks. This weakness represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and secure by design, where cryptographic implementations should be resistant to prediction and analysis attacks. Organizations should consider implementing mitigations including immediate firmware updates, network segmentation, and enhanced monitoring of encrypted communications to reduce the risk of exploitation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-330, which specifically addresses insufficient entropy in random number generation, and CWE-331, which covers insufficient randomness in cryptographic key generation. These weaknesses directly contribute to the broader category of cryptographic failures that can lead to complete compromise of security systems. From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability represents a critical weakness that can be exploited by attackers with moderate technical capabilities, as the predictability of keys makes the attack surface more accessible than typical cryptographic vulnerabilities. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of entropy sources in cryptographic implementations, which should be verified against industry standards such as NIST SP 800-90A for random number generation and FIPS 140-2 for cryptographic module validation. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls including certificate pinning, multi-factor authentication, and regular cryptographic audits to protect against similar vulnerabilities in their infrastructure.