CVE-2014-8527 in Network Data Loss Prevention
Summary
by MITRE
McAfee Network Data Loss Prevention (NDLP) before 9.3 allows local users to obtain sensitive information and affect integrity via vectors related to a "plain text password."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8527 affects McAfee Network Data Loss Prevention version 9.2 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that exposes sensitive system information to local attackers. This vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure and integrity compromise, where unauthorized local users can exploit a weakness in the password handling mechanism to gain access to confidential data. The issue stems from the improper handling of plain text passwords within the NDLP system, creating an avenue for privilege escalation and data exposure that could significantly impact organizational security posture.
The technical flaw manifests through a weakness in how the McAfee NDLP software stores and processes authentication credentials, specifically when dealing with plain text password representations. This vulnerability enables local attackers to access sensitive information that should remain protected within the system's configuration files or memory spaces. The exploitation occurs at the local user level without requiring remote access or specialized network conditions, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by anyone with legitimate access to the system. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially affect system integrity, as attackers could modify or manipulate password-related configurations to maintain persistent access or escalate privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial for organizations relying on McAfee NDLP for data protection and network security monitoring. Local users who exploit this weakness could gain unauthorized access to critical system information, potentially including administrative credentials, configuration parameters, and other sensitive data that would normally be protected. This exposure creates opportunities for attackers to perform lateral movement within the network, escalate privileges to administrative levels, and potentially access other systems or data stores that are protected by the compromised NDLP instance. The vulnerability's local nature means that any user with access to the system could potentially exploit it, making it particularly concerning for environments where user access controls are not strictly enforced.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to McAfee NDLP version 9.3 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. System administrators should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement monitoring for unusual access patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-312, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext storage, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for unsecured credentials and T1068 for local privilege escalation. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict access controls, monitoring for unauthorized local access attempts, and ensuring proper system hardening practices are in place to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to systems that could be exploited through this vulnerability.