CVE-2016-0924 in RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite
Summary
by MITRE
The TLS 1.2 implementation in EMC RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite (MES) 4.0.x before 4.0.9 and 4.1.x before 4.1.5 supports MD5 signatures, which makes it easier for man-in-the-middle attackers to impersonate clients via a transcript-collision attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-0924 represents a critical weakness in the cryptographic implementation of EMC RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite versions 4.0.x prior to 4.0.9 and 4.1.x prior to 4.1.5. This flaw specifically affects the TLS 1.2 protocol implementation within the software, creating a significant security risk that undermines the integrity of secure communications. The vulnerability stems from the inclusion of MD5 signature support in an environment where such cryptographic algorithms are considered insecure and deprecated due to known collision vulnerabilities.
The technical flaw manifests in the protocol's handling of digital signatures during the TLS handshake process, where the system accepts MD5-based signatures alongside stronger cryptographic algorithms. This creates an attack surface that adversaries can exploit through transcript-collision attacks, which leverage the mathematical weaknesses inherent in MD5 to generate different message digests that produce identical hash values. The vulnerability falls under CWE-327, which specifically addresses the use of weak cryptographic algorithms, and represents a failure to properly enforce cryptographic strength requirements as mandated by security standards. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by intercepting communications and substituting their own credentials or data in place of legitimate ones, effectively impersonating clients in the communication chain.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple cryptographic weakness, as it fundamentally compromises the trust model that TLS 1.2 is designed to establish. Organizations using affected versions of the EMC RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite face significant risks including unauthorized data access, session hijacking, and potential complete system compromise if the vulnerable software is used in critical infrastructure components. The vulnerability affects the core security assurances that TLS 1.2 provides, particularly in environments where client authentication is critical. According to ATT&CK framework tactic TA0006 (Credential Access), this vulnerability enables adversaries to exploit weak cryptographic implementations to gain unauthorized access to systems and data, making it a high-impact threat vector.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected software to versions 4.0.9 or later for 4.0.x releases and 4.1.5 or later for 4.1.x releases, as provided by EMC. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider disabling MD5 signature support at the protocol level where possible. Security teams must conduct comprehensive inventory audits to identify all systems utilizing the vulnerable BSAFE Micro Edition Suite and ensure proper cryptographic algorithm enforcement. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date cryptographic libraries and adhering to NIST SP 800-57 guidelines for cryptographic strength requirements, particularly in environments where TLS implementations must provide robust security assurances against sophisticated attack vectors.