CVE-2012-4952 in Dentrix
Summary
by MITRE
Henry Schein Dentrix G5 before 15.1.294 has a single internal-database password that is shared across different customers installations, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information about patients by leveraging knowledge of this password from another installation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4952 affects Henry Schein Dentrix G5 software versions prior to 15.1.294, representing a critical security flaw in database access controls that directly impacts patient data confidentiality. This issue stems from a fundamental design weakness where a single, hardcoded database password is distributed across multiple customer installations, creating a universal access point that undermines the security isolation between different dental practices using the same software platform. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and directly violates security principles of least privilege and separation of concerns, as it allows unauthorized access to patient information across different organizational boundaries.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves a static credential configuration within the software deployment package that remains unchanged across all customer installations. When attackers gain knowledge of this shared password through various means such as public disclosure, compromise of one installation, or social engineering attacks, they can establish database connections to any customer's installation without requiring additional authentication credentials. This creates a scenario where patient records, treatment histories, payment information, and other sensitive dental data become accessible to unauthorized parties who possess this single credential, effectively eliminating the security boundaries that should exist between different healthcare organizations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it represents a severe breach of patient privacy and healthcare data protection standards. The compromised nature of this vulnerability means that attackers can potentially access thousands of patient records across multiple installations, creating a massive data breach scenario that could affect hundreds or thousands of patients. This flaw directly violates the healthcare industry's compliance requirements under regulations such as hipaa, where patient confidentiality must be maintained through proper access controls and data isolation mechanisms. The vulnerability also enables potential for further attack vectors including data manipulation, unauthorized access to billing information, and the possibility of identity theft through exposure of personal health information.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumeration CWE-798, which addresses the use of hard-coded credentials, and represents a classic example of poor security configuration management. The attack pattern follows typical threat actor methodologies outlined in the attack technique ATT&CK framework under T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access, as adversaries can leverage this single point of failure to gain unauthorized access to sensitive healthcare data. Organizations using affected versions should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched version 15.1.294, implementing network segmentation to limit database access, and conducting comprehensive security audits to identify any potential compromise. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper credential management and the need for unique, randomized database credentials for each installation to prevent similar cross-tenant data exposure scenarios.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the systemic security challenges faced by healthcare software vendors and the critical need for robust security practices in medical applications. This flaw exemplifies how a single configuration error can create widespread exposure across multiple organizations, emphasizing the importance of security by design principles and regular security assessments. Healthcare organizations should implement additional monitoring and access controls beyond the basic database security measures, including database activity monitoring, intrusion detection systems, and regular security training for staff handling sensitive patient information. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity for proper software supply chain security practices and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all healthcare applications to prevent similar exposure scenarios.