CVE-2013-4423 in CloudForms
Summary
by MITRE
CloudForms stores user passwords in recoverable format
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4423 represents a critical security flaw in CloudForms management platform where user authentication credentials are stored in a recoverable format rather than being properly hashed or encrypted. This configuration fundamentally undermines the security posture of the system by creating a persistent attack surface that adversaries can exploit to gain unauthorized access to user accounts. The issue stems from the application's failure to implement proper password storage mechanisms that would prevent recovery of plaintext credentials even when administrative access to the system is obtained.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's password handling architecture where passwords are stored in a format that can be easily reversed or recovered without requiring additional authentication or authorization. This typically occurs when the system uses reversible encryption methods, weak hashing algorithms, or stores credentials in plain text format within database tables or configuration files. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-256, which addresses the storage of passwords in cleartext or recoverable format, and represents a failure to implement proper credential storage practices as outlined in security best practices. Attackers who gain access to the system can directly extract these credentials and use them to impersonate legitimate users, potentially escalating their privileges and accessing sensitive data or system resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple credential theft, as it creates a persistent backdoor for attackers to maintain long-term access to the CloudForms environment. Once compromised, attackers can leverage these recovered credentials to access not only user accounts but potentially administrative functions within the platform. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of the entire system as it allows unauthorized parties to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and gain access to sensitive operational data, configuration settings, and management interfaces. This exposure can lead to complete system compromise, data breaches, and unauthorized modifications to the cloud infrastructure management capabilities that CloudForms provides to organizations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-4423 require immediate implementation of proper password storage mechanisms that comply with industry standards and security frameworks. Organizations should implement strong hashing algorithms such as bcrypt, scrypt, or PBKDF2 with sufficient iteration counts to prevent brute force attacks against recovered credentials. The system architecture must be redesigned to ensure that passwords are never stored in recoverable format, and any existing cleartext passwords should be immediately reset and rehashed using secure methods. Security controls should include regular audits of credential storage mechanisms, implementation of automated monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, and adherence to the principle of least privilege. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and credential access, and represents a failure to implement proper defensive measures as outlined in security frameworks such as NIST SP 800-63B for identity and access management. Organizations must also consider implementing additional security controls including multi-factor authentication, regular security assessments, and comprehensive incident response procedures to address the potential exploitation of this vulnerability.