CVE-2015-2762 in TRITON AP-WEB
Summary
by MITRE
Websense TRITON AP-WEB before 8.0.0 allows remote attackers to enumerate Windows domain user accounts via vectors related to HTTP authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/15/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2762 affects Websense TRITON AP-WEB versions prior to 8.0.0, representing a critical security flaw in the web application's authentication mechanism. This issue enables remote attackers to perform unauthorized account enumeration against Windows domain user accounts through specific HTTP authentication vectors. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and handling of authentication requests within the web interface, creating an attack surface that adversaries can exploit without requiring prior authentication credentials.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the application's failure to properly sanitize or validate HTTP authentication requests, particularly when processing user credentials. Attackers can leverage this weakness to systematically probe the system for valid user accounts by sending crafted authentication requests that reveal whether specific domain users exist within the target environment. This enumeration capability operates through the application's HTTP authentication handling code, where the system's response varies depending on whether a user account exists, allowing attackers to distinguish between valid and invalid accounts through response timing, error messages, or other distinguishable behaviors. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-200 category of Information Exposure, specifically related to information leakage through improper error handling during authentication processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account enumeration, as it provides attackers with critical intelligence for subsequent attack phases within the target environment. Once valid user accounts are identified, attackers can proceed with credential brute-forcing, password spraying, or other authentication attacks against the discovered accounts. This vulnerability directly supports the attacker's ability to map the target network's user landscape and identify high-value targets within the Windows domain infrastructure. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this flaw from outside the network perimeter, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate resources and privilege escalation opportunities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-2762 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Websense TRITON AP-WEB systems to version 8.0.0 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes for the authentication handling code. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring controls to detect unusual authentication patterns and account enumeration attempts, particularly focusing on anomalous HTTP requests targeting authentication endpoints. The implementation of rate limiting and account lockout mechanisms can help reduce the effectiveness of automated enumeration attacks. Security teams should also review and strengthen their authentication policies, ensuring that account naming conventions do not provide unnecessary information to potential attackers. Organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts and conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other authentication systems. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and secure error handling in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 for Valid Accounts and T1566 for Phishing, as it enables initial access and credential compromise activities that support broader attack chains.