CVE-2014-2354 in DataHub
Summary
by MITRE
Cogent DataHub before 7.3.5 does not use a salt during password hashing, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to obtain cleartext passwords via a brute-force attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2354 affects Cogent DataHub versions prior to 7.3.5 and represents a critical weakness in the application's password security implementation. This flaw stems from the absence of cryptographic salt in the password hashing process, creating a significant security risk that directly impacts the system's ability to protect user credentials. The vulnerability operates within the realm of authentication mechanisms and represents a failure in proper cryptographic practices that undermines the fundamental security posture of the affected system.
The technical flaw lies in the implementation of password hashing algorithms that fail to incorporate salt values during the hashing process. Without salt, identical passwords will produce identical hash values, making the system susceptible to rainbow table attacks and brute-force methodologies. This weakness directly maps to CWE-916, which addresses the use of insecure or weak cryptographic algorithms in password hashing implementations. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by performing precomputed hash lookups against databases of common password hashes, significantly reducing the computational effort required to compromise user accounts. The lack of salt essentially eliminates the cryptographic protection that should make password recovery computationally infeasible.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it provides attackers with a pathway to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to the system's resources. Context-dependent attackers can leverage this weakness to systematically attempt password guesses against multiple user accounts, particularly targeting common passwords that would otherwise be protected by the salt mechanism. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1110.003, which covers credential stuffing and brute force attacks, and represents a fundamental failure in the system's defense-in-depth strategy. Organizations using affected versions of Cogent DataHub face increased risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and potential lateral movement within their networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-2354 require immediate implementation of proper password hashing mechanisms that incorporate cryptographic salt values. System administrators should upgrade to Cogent DataHub version 7.3.5 or later, which addresses this vulnerability through proper salted password hashing implementation. Additionally, organizations should enforce strong password policies, implement account lockout mechanisms, and consider multi-factor authentication as additional layers of protection. The fix should ensure that all password hashing operations utilize unique salt values for each password, making precomputed attacks ineffective and significantly increasing the computational requirements for successful brute-force attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other system components and ensure comprehensive protection against credential-based attacks.