CVE-2014-8529 in Network Data Loss Prevention
Summary
by MITRE
McAfee Network Data Loss Prevention (NDLP) before 9.3 stores the SSH key in cleartext, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8529 affects McAfee Network Data Loss Prevention version 9.3 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw in how the software handles SSH key storage. This issue stems from the application's improper handling of cryptographic materials, specifically storing SSH private keys in cleartext format within the system's file system. The flaw represents a fundamental failure in secure key management practices that directly violates established security principles and industry standards. Organizations utilizing McAfee NDLP software in their network security infrastructure face significant risk exposure due to this vulnerability, as it creates an attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to gain unauthorized access to sensitive network resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's storage mechanism for SSH keys, which fails to implement proper encryption or access controls for sensitive cryptographic materials. When SSH keys are stored in cleartext, any local user with access to the system can potentially read and extract these keys without authentication or authorization. This represents a critical failure in the principle of least privilege and demonstrates poor application security design. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the vulnerability description suggest that multiple attack paths exist, potentially including local file system access, privilege escalation scenarios, or other system-level vulnerabilities that could be leveraged to access the cleartext key files. This weakness directly maps to CWE-312, which specifically addresses the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext storage of credentials and cryptographic keys.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as compromised SSH keys can enable attackers to establish persistent access to network infrastructure, bypass multi-factor authentication mechanisms, and potentially move laterally within the network environment. The threat landscape for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers the exploitation of credentials stored in cleartext, and T1078, which addresses legitimate credentials usage for persistence and privilege escalation. Organizations may experience severe consequences including unauthorized system access, data exfiltration, and potential compromise of the entire network security posture. The vulnerability particularly affects enterprises that rely on McAfee NDLP for data protection and monitoring, as the compromised keys could provide attackers with access to critical network assets that the software is designed to protect.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-8529 must prioritize immediate remediation through the deployment of McAfee's official security patches and updates to version 9.3 or later, which address the cleartext storage issue. System administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all affected systems and verify that SSH key files are properly encrypted and access-controlled. The implementation of mandatory access controls, regular security audits, and enhanced monitoring of system access patterns can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as SSH key rotation policies, multi-factor authentication for privileged access, and network segmentation to limit the potential impact of key compromise. The vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to security standards including NIST SP 800-57 for cryptographic key management and ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management, which emphasize the need for proper key handling and storage practices to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive cryptographic materials.