CVE-2015-6551 in NetBackup
Summary
by MITRE
Veritas NetBackup 7.x through 7.5.0.7 and 7.6.0.x through 7.6.0.4 and NetBackup Appliance through 2.5.4 and 2.6.0.x through 2.6.0.4 do not use TLS for administration-console traffic to the NBU server, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information by sniffing the network for key-exchange packets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2022
This vulnerability affects veritas netbackup products including versions 7.x through 7.5.0.7 and 7.6.0.x through 7.6.0.4 along with netbackup appliance versions through 2.5.4 and 2.6.0.x through 2.6.0.4. the flaw stems from the absence of transport layer security implementation for administration console traffic between the client and the netbackup server. this critical oversight creates a significant security gap that exposes sensitive information to unauthorized network monitoring. the vulnerability specifically targets the key-exchange packets that are transmitted during the administrative communication process, making it particularly dangerous as these packets contain essential cryptographic material necessary for establishing secure connections.
the technical implementation flaw represents a failure to properly secure administrative communications channels, which aligns with weakness type CWE-319 - cleartext transmission of sensitive information. this vulnerability allows remote attackers to perform passive network sniffing operations and capture key-exchange packets that would normally be protected through encrypted channels. the absence of tls encryption for administrative traffic creates an attack surface where sensitive data including authentication credentials and cryptographic keys can be intercepted and potentially exploited. attackers can leverage this weakness to perform man-in-the-middle attacks or simply capture network traffic to extract valuable information that could be used for further exploitation attempts.
the operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks against the netbackup infrastructure. since the administrative console traffic lacks encryption, attackers who can monitor network communications can capture authentication tokens, session keys, and other sensitive data that could be used to gain unauthorized access to backup systems. this creates a risk of complete system compromise where attackers can manipulate backup operations, access backup data, or disrupt critical backup processes. the vulnerability affects organizations that rely on netbackup for their data protection strategies, potentially exposing their entire backup infrastructure to unauthorized access and manipulation.
organizations should immediately implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential traffic interception attempts, while also applying vendor-provided patches or updates that address the tls implementation deficiency. the recommended mitigations include enabling proper transport layer security for all administrative communications, implementing network access controls to limit exposure, and conducting thorough network monitoring to detect suspicious traffic patterns. security teams should also consider implementing additional authentication mechanisms and regularly review administrative access logs to identify potential unauthorized access attempts. this vulnerability highlights the importance of proper encryption implementation for administrative interfaces and demonstrates the critical need for organizations to maintain up-to-date security practices across all system components, including backup and recovery systems that often contain the most sensitive organizational data. the attack surface created by this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the attack tree framework where network sniffing and credential harvesting represent common initial access vectors that can lead to full system compromise.