CVE-2015-7908 in Midas Gas Detector
Summary
by MITRE
Honeywell Midas gas detectors before 1.13b3 and Midas Black gas detectors before 2.13b3 allow remote attackers to discover cleartext passwords by sniffing the network.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7908 affects Honeywell Midas gas detection systems, specifically targeting versions prior to 1.13b3 for Midas gas detectors and 2.13b3 for Midas Black gas detectors. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the network communication protocols employed by these industrial safety devices, which are designed to monitor and alert on gas concentrations in potentially hazardous environments. The vulnerability stems from the improper handling of authentication credentials during network communication, creating an attack surface that exposes sensitive information to unauthorized parties.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the transmission of password credentials in cleartext format across network connections without adequate encryption or protection mechanisms. Network sniffing tools can easily capture these unencrypted credentials during transmission, allowing remote attackers to obtain administrative access to the gas detection systems. This flaw directly violates fundamental security principles regarding credential protection and network communication security. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-312, which specifically addresses the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext transmission, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol: DNS, where attackers may leverage network reconnaissance to gather authentication information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it enables attackers to gain full administrative control over critical gas detection equipment. This control could potentially be exploited to disable security alerts, modify detection thresholds, or manipulate system configurations in ways that compromise industrial safety protocols. In environments where these detectors are deployed for hazardous material monitoring, such as chemical plants, refineries, or manufacturing facilities, unauthorized access could lead to serious safety risks and potential environmental hazards. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the security monitoring systems, potentially allowing attackers to remain undetected while compromising the operational integrity of industrial safety infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including network segmentation to isolate these devices from general network traffic, deployment of network monitoring tools to detect suspicious sniffing activities, and implementation of encrypted communication protocols where supported. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to patched versions of the Honeywell Midas software, which should include proper encryption of authentication credentials and implementation of secure communication channels. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive network audits to identify all instances of vulnerable devices and establish monitoring procedures to detect potential credential interception attempts. This vulnerability underscores the importance of securing industrial control systems and demonstrates how legacy security implementations can create significant risks in modern networked environments.