CVE-2016-2364 in Fonality
Summary
by MITRE
The Chrome HUDweb plugin before 2016-05-05 for Fonality (previously trixbox Pro) 12.6 through 14.1i uses the same hardcoded private key across different customers' installations, which allows remote attackers to defeat cryptographic protection mechanisms by leveraging knowledge of this key from another installation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/31/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2364 represents a critical cryptographic weakness in the Chrome HUDweb plugin component of Fonality's trixbox Pro platform. This issue affects versions 12.6 through 14.1i and stems from the implementation of a hardcoded private key that is shared across multiple customer installations. The flaw fundamentally compromises the security architecture by eliminating the uniqueness required for cryptographic protection mechanisms to function effectively. When the same private key is reused across different environments, it creates a scenario where compromising one installation automatically undermines the security of all other installations utilizing the identical key.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-327, which addresses the use of weak cryptographic algorithms and key management practices. The hardcoded nature of the private key violates fundamental security principles outlined in NIST SP 800-57, which emphasizes the importance of unique cryptographic keys for each installation or deployment. Attackers can exploit this weakness by obtaining the shared private key from one customer installation and then using it to impersonate legitimate systems, decrypt communications, or forge digital signatures across all affected deployments. This represents a classic case of cryptographic key reuse that undermines the entire security model of the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential compromise, as it enables sophisticated attacks that can bypass multiple layers of security protection. Adversaries can leverage this weakness to perform man-in-the-middle attacks, decrypt sensitive communications, or gain unauthorized access to voice and data services. The vulnerability particularly affects enterprise communication systems where the Chrome HUDweb plugin serves as a critical interface component for unified communications. Organizations utilizing affected versions face the risk of complete system compromise, as the shared key essentially removes the cryptographic barriers that should separate different customer environments. This weakness creates a single point of failure that can result in widespread data breaches and service disruption across multiple customer installations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-2364 require immediate action to address the hardcoded key issue and implement proper cryptographic key management practices. Organizations should upgrade to the patched version released on May 5, 2016, which resolves the hardcoded key problem by implementing unique key generation for each installation. The remediation process should include generating new cryptographic keys for each deployment and ensuring proper key rotation policies are established. Security teams must also implement monitoring to detect any unauthorized access attempts that might exploit this vulnerability. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to TA0006 Credential Access and TA0005 Defense Evasion, as attackers can use the compromised keys to maintain persistent access and evade detection mechanisms. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security audits to identify any other instances of hardcoded credentials or cryptographic weaknesses in their communication infrastructure, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of unique cryptographic implementations in multi-tenant environments.