CVE-2014-5131 in ProjectDox
Summary
by MITRE
Avolve Software ProjectDox 8.1 makes it easier for remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information by leveraging ciphertext reuse.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5131 affects Avolve Software ProjectDox version 8.1 and represents a significant cryptographic weakness that enables remote authenticated attackers to extract sensitive information through ciphertext reuse techniques. This flaw exists within the software's encryption implementation where repeated use of identical ciphertext values creates predictable patterns that can be exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability specifically targets the software's handling of encrypted data, making it possible for authenticated users to leverage existing encrypted data structures to infer confidential information without requiring additional privileges or complex attack vectors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper cryptographic practices where the system fails to implement proper initialization vectors or nonce values for encryption operations. When the same plaintext data is encrypted multiple times under identical conditions, the resulting ciphertext becomes reusable and predictable, creating opportunities for attackers to perform statistical analysis and pattern recognition. This issue directly relates to CWE-327, which addresses broken cryptographic algorithms, and more specifically connects to CWE-329 which focuses on the lack of entropy in random number generation and initialization vector usage. The flaw essentially allows attackers to perform known-plaintext attacks where they can correlate encrypted data with known information to derive sensitive details.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations using ProjectDox 8.1 as it enables attackers who have already gained authentication access to the system to escalate their information gathering capabilities. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure as the ability to perform ciphertext reuse attacks can lead to the recovery of passwords, user credentials, and other confidential business information. Attackers can potentially reconstruct previously encrypted data by analyzing patterns in reused ciphertext values, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where sensitive project data, financial information, or personal user details are stored. The attack requires only authenticated access to the system, significantly lowering the barrier to exploitation compared to more complex cryptographic attacks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to a patched version of ProjectDox that properly implements cryptographic best practices, ensuring that all encryption operations use unique initialization vectors and nonces for each encryption cycle. The remediation process should also include reviewing and updating cryptographic libraries to ensure proper random number generation and entropy sources are utilized. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of all encrypted data within the system to identify potential exposure windows and implement monitoring for unusual data access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, the implementation of proper key rotation policies and the enforcement of cryptographic standards such as those outlined in NIST SP 800-38A for block cipher modes of operation would significantly reduce the risk of similar vulnerabilities occurring in the future. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of following ATT&CK framework techniques related to credential access and defense evasion, as the exploitation path involves leveraging existing authenticated sessions to gain additional information access without detection.