CVE-2014-2212 in POSH
Summary
by MITRE
The remember me feature in portal/scr_authentif.php in POSH (aka Posh portal or Portaneo) 3.0, 3.2.1, 3.3.0, and earlier stores the username and MD5 digest of the password in cleartext in a cookie, which allows attackers to obtain sensitive information by reading this cookie.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2212 affects the POSH portal software, specifically within the authentication mechanism located in portal/scr_authentif.php. This issue manifests in versions 3.0, 3.2.1, 3.3.0, and earlier releases, representing a significant security flaw that undermines the confidentiality of user credentials. The vulnerability stems from the implementation of the "remember me" feature, which is designed to enhance user convenience by automatically authenticating users upon subsequent visits. However, this convenience comes at the cost of substantial security risk due to improper credential storage practices.
The technical flaw involves the insecure storage of authentication tokens within browser cookies. Specifically, the system stores both the username and an MD5 digest of the password in cleartext format within the cookie data. This represents a critical failure in cryptographic implementation and data protection practices, as MD5 is considered cryptographically broken and unsuitable for security-sensitive applications. The cleartext storage of these credentials means that any attacker with access to the cookie can immediately obtain both the username and the password digest without requiring additional computational resources or time-intensive attacks. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-312, which describes the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext storage, and CWE-522, which addresses insufficiently protected credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Attackers can exploit this weakness through various means including network sniffing, cross-site scripting attacks, or by directly accessing user browsers through malware infections. Once obtained, the cookie contents provide immediate access to authenticated sessions, enabling unauthorized users to assume legitimate user identities and gain access to sensitive portal resources. This vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that remains active until the cookie expires or is manually cleared, potentially allowing attackers to maintain access for extended periods. The attack pattern aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under T1531, which covers "Create or Modify System Process" and T1078, which covers "Valid Accounts" through credential access and persistence mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary fix involves implementing proper cryptographic storage mechanisms for authentication tokens, including the use of secure random session identifiers and the elimination of cleartext credential storage in cookies. Organizations should implement secure cookie attributes such as HttpOnly, Secure, and SameSite flags to prevent cookie theft through cross-site scripting attacks. Additionally, the implementation of proper session management with short expiration times and automatic session invalidation upon logout is essential. The solution should also incorporate robust authentication mechanisms that do not rely on storing sensitive information in client-side storage, aligning with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST Special Publication 800-63B for authentication and session management. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the system architecture.