CVE-2016-5790 in LightHouse SMS
Summary
by MITRE
Tollgrade LightHouse SMS before 5.1 patch 3 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and restart the software via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5790 affects Tollgrade LightHouse SMS versions prior to 5.1 patch 3, presenting a critical security weakness that enables remote attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and restart the targeted software system. This authentication bypass represents a fundamental failure in the software's access control implementation, allowing unauthorized parties to gain administrative privileges without proper credentials. The unspecified vectors through which this attack can be executed suggest that the vulnerability may exist across multiple attack surfaces or that the specific technical details were not fully disclosed in the initial vulnerability report.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure in the authentication process where legitimate access controls are circumvented, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate the software's operational state. This weakness directly impacts the system's integrity and availability by enabling unauthorized restart operations that could disrupt services, potentially leading to denial of service conditions. The ability to restart software remotely without proper authentication represents a severe privilege escalation vulnerability that could be exploited to gain deeper system access or to execute malicious code within the application environment.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations using Tollgrade LightHouse SMS systems, as it provides attackers with the capability to disrupt services and potentially access sensitive data or system resources. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access to the system, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from anywhere on the network. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption, as the unauthorized restart capability could be used to clear logs, disable security features, or establish persistent access to the system.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the available patch version 5.1 patch 3 to address the authentication bypass vulnerability. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized restart attempts or authentication bypass activities. Access controls should be reviewed and strengthened to ensure that only authorized personnel can perform administrative functions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and represents a potential entry point for attackers following ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1490 for endpoint denial of service. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar weaknesses in the broader network infrastructure and prevent exploitation of related vulnerabilities.