CVE-2014-5000 in lawn-login Gem
Summary
by MITRE
The login function in lib/lawn.rb in the lawn-login gem 0.0.7 for Ruby places credentials on the curl command line, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information by listing the process.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5000 resides within the lawn-login gem version 0.0.7 for Ruby, specifically in the login function located in lib/lawn.rb. This flaw represents a critical security oversight that exposes sensitive authentication credentials through improper command execution practices. The vulnerability stems from the gem's implementation of the login functionality where user credentials are directly embedded into the curl command line arguments rather than being handled through secure alternative methods.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through process enumeration techniques available to local users on the system. When the lawn-login gem executes the curl command to authenticate users, it incorporates username and password credentials directly as command line parameters. This practice violates fundamental security principles and creates an easily accessible attack vector since process lists typically display all command line arguments passed to running processes. Local adversaries can simply execute ps aux or similar process monitoring commands to retrieve the complete curl command including embedded credentials, thereby compromising authentication information without requiring any specialized tools or network access.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-255 Credential Management Issues and specifically CWE-312 Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Process Context. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of information exposure through improper credential handling, where sensitive data is stored and transmitted in cleartext within process memory. From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability significantly increases the attack surface for local users and could potentially lead to privilege escalation or unauthorized access to systems protected by the lawn-login gem. The impact extends beyond simple credential theft as compromised authentication information could enable attackers to gain access to additional systems or services that rely on the same credentials.
The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1003 Credential Dumping and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as local users can leverage process enumeration techniques to extract credentials from command line arguments. The remediation strategy should focus on implementing secure credential handling practices that avoid exposing authentication information through command line parameters. Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of the lawn-login gem or implement alternative authentication mechanisms that do not rely on command line credential passing. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing process monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect suspicious credential exposure patterns and establish proper access controls to limit local user privileges that could exploit this vulnerability.
Security best practices recommend utilizing environment variables, configuration files with appropriate access controls, or secure credential storage mechanisms instead of command line arguments for authentication parameters. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and conducting thorough security reviews of third-party libraries before deployment in production environments. Organizations should also implement regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning procedures to identify similar credential exposure issues within their software stack and ensure that all authentication mechanisms follow established security standards and guidelines.