CVE-2016-0904 in Avamar Server
Summary
by MITRE
Avamar Data Store (ADS) and Avamar Virtual Edition (AVE) in EMC Avamar Server before 7.3.0-233 use the same encryption key across different customers' installations, which allows remote attackers to defeat cryptographic protection mechanisms and obtain sensitive client-server traffic information by leveraging knowledge of this key from another installation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0904 represents a critical weakness in EMC Avamar Server's cryptographic implementation affecting both Avamar Data Store and Avamar Virtual Edition components. This flaw stems from the improper management of encryption keys across multiple customer environments, creating a fundamental security breach that undermines the core principle of cryptographic isolation. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-327, which addresses the use of weak cryptographic algorithms and improper key management practices that can lead to complete cryptographic failure. The issue manifests when the same static encryption key is deployed across different customer installations, effectively creating a universal decryption mechanism that compromises the confidentiality of data in transit between clients and servers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables remote attackers to perform cryptographic attacks that would normally be impossible due to proper key management practices. When an attacker gains knowledge of the shared encryption key from one customer installation, they can immediately decrypt traffic from other installations that utilize the same key. This represents a severe violation of the principle of least privilege and data segregation that should exist between different customer environments. The flaw operates at the network protocol level where data encryption is supposed to provide confidentiality, yet the identical key usage creates a single point of failure that defeats all cryptographic protections. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1074.001 which involves data staging through the use of compromised credentials and encryption key compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data exposure, as it fundamentally compromises the trust model that cloud and backup services rely upon. Organizations using Avamar Server versions prior to 7.3.0-233 face the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information from multiple customers, potentially including personal data, financial records, intellectual property, and proprietary business information. The attack vector requires only knowledge of a single installation's key to compromise others, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for service providers who host multiple clients. This flaw could enable attackers to perform lateral movement within organizations, extract confidential data, and potentially use the stolen information for identity theft, financial fraud, or competitive intelligence gathering. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of client-server communications, undermining the core security objectives of any backup and recovery solution.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-0904 require immediate action to address the root cause of shared encryption keys across customer environments. The primary solution involves upgrading to EMC Avamar Server version 7.3.0-233 or later, which implements proper key management and ensures that each customer installation uses unique encryption keys. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate key compromise or unauthorized access attempts. Additional security measures include regular cryptographic audits, implementation of key rotation policies, and ensuring that all customer environments maintain independent and unique cryptographic materials. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper key lifecycle management and demonstrates how static key usage can create catastrophic security failures in multi-tenant environments. Security teams should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems specifically configured to monitor for potential exploitation of known cryptographic weaknesses and ensure that all system updates are applied promptly to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities.