CVE-2015-8024 in Enterprise Security Manager
Summary
by MITRE
McAfee Enterprise Security Manager (ESM), Enterprise Security Manager/Log Manager (ESMLM), and Enterprise Security Manager/Receiver (ESMREC) 9.3.x before 9.3.2MR19, 9.4.x before 9.4.2MR9, and 9.5.x before 9.5.0MR8, when configured to use Active Directory or LDAP authentication sources, allow remote attackers to bypass authentication by logging in with the username "NGCP|NGCP|NGCP;" and any password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8024 affects McAfee Enterprise Security Manager and related components, specifically targeting authentication mechanisms that rely on Active Directory or LDAP integration. This flaw represents a critical authentication bypass issue that undermines the security posture of organizations relying on these security solutions for network monitoring and threat detection. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the authentication processing pipeline, where the system fails to adequately sanitize user credentials before attempting authentication against backend directory services.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits a specific pattern in how the authentication subsystem processes usernames containing the string "NGCP|NGCP|NGCP;". When an attacker submits this malformed username with any password, the system incorrectly interprets the input and grants access to the system without proper authentication verification. This behavior occurs because the authentication module does not properly validate or sanitize the username field, allowing special characters and delimiters to be processed in ways that bypass standard authentication controls. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of McAfee ESM products including 9.3.x, 9.4.x, and 9.5.x, indicating a widespread issue within the product line that required multiple patch releases to address.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to security management systems that are typically protected by robust authentication controls. Security administrators who rely on these systems for monitoring network traffic, analyzing security events, and managing security policies face significant risk when this vulnerability exists. The bypass mechanism does not require any special privileges or local access, making it particularly dangerous as attackers can exploit this remotely without needing to compromise other system components first. Organizations using these security solutions may experience unauthorized access to sensitive security data, potential privilege escalation, and complete compromise of their security monitoring infrastructure.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation practices that enable attackers to manipulate authentication flows through crafted usernames. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor patches released for versions 9.3.2MR19, 9.4.2MR9, and 9.5.0MR8, as well as monitoring for suspicious authentication attempts. Additional defensive measures include implementing network segmentation, restricting remote access to authentication systems, and conducting thorough security assessments of all directory integration points. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input sanitization in authentication systems and demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws can create significant security risks in enterprise security infrastructure.