CVE-2017-1000025 in Web
Summary
by MITRE
GNOME Web (Epiphany) 3.23 before 3.23.5, 3.22 before 3.22.6, 3.20 before 3.20.7, 3.18 before 3.18.11, and prior versions, is vulnerable to a password manager sweep attack resulting in the remote exfiltration of stored passwords for a selected set of websites.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1000025 represents a critical security flaw in GNOME Web browser (Epiphany) affecting multiple version ranges including 3.23 before 3.23.5, 3.22 before 3.22.6, 3.20 before 3.20.7, and 3.18 before 3.18.11. This vulnerability specifically targets the browser's password management functionality and enables a sophisticated attack vector known as password manager sweep attack. The flaw allows attackers to remotely exfiltrate stored passwords for specific websites without requiring user interaction or explicit authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users rely on automatic password saving features.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and inadequate access controls within the password manager component of the browser. When users navigate to websites that have saved credentials, the browser's password manager inadvertently exposes stored password information through improper handling of credential retrieval requests. This weakness creates a pathway for remote attackers to systematically extract saved credentials from the browser's password database by leveraging crafted web requests or malicious web content. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically affects the browser's credential storage and retrieval mechanisms, making it a direct threat to user authentication security. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and CWE-352, which covers cross-site request forgery conditions that enable unauthorized access to protected resources.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-1000025 extends beyond simple credential theft, as it can lead to cascading security breaches within organizational environments. When attackers successfully exploit this vulnerability, they gain access to potentially sensitive authentication data for various online services, including banking applications, corporate portals, email systems, and cloud services. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to target systems. This vulnerability particularly affects users who maintain multiple saved credentials in their browser and who visit websites that have been configured to store authentication information automatically. The attack can be automated and scaled across multiple targets, making it attractive to cybercriminals and nation-state actors seeking to establish persistent access to user accounts and potentially escalate privileges within compromised networks. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics aligned with attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under credential access categories, specifically targeting credential dumping and credential harvesting techniques.
Organizations and users should immediately update their GNOME Web browser installations to versions 3.23.5, 3.22.6, 3.20.7, or 3.18.11 respectively, to remediate this vulnerability. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly. Additional mitigations include disabling automatic password saving features, implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous credential access patterns, and conducting regular security assessments of browser configurations. Users should be educated about the risks of automatic credential storage and encouraged to manually manage sensitive authentication information. Security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to password manager sweep attacks and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing browser-based credential theft vulnerabilities. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date browser software and implementing layered security controls to protect against sophisticated credential theft attacks that can bypass traditional network security measures.