CVE-2017-16560 in Secure Access
Summary
by MITRE
SanDisk Secure Access 3.01 vault decrypts and copies encrypted files to a temporary folder, where they can remain indefinitely in certain situations, such as if the file is being edited when the user exits the application or if the application crashes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-16560 resides within SanDisk Secure Access version 3.01, a digital security application designed to protect sensitive data through encryption and secure file handling. This flaw represents a critical weakness in the application's temporary file management system, creating potential exposure pathways for encrypted data that should remain protected. The vulnerability manifests when the application decrypts files for user access and subsequently copies them to temporary storage locations where they may persist beyond the intended operational lifecycle of the application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate temporary file handling procedures within the SanDisk Secure Access framework. When users interact with encrypted files through the application, the system performs decryption operations and creates temporary copies of these decrypted files in standard temporary directories. The flaw occurs because the application fails to properly clean up these temporary files upon normal application termination or in crash scenarios. This behavior creates a persistent security risk where sensitive information remains accessible in temporary storage areas where unauthorized users or processes might gain access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it creates potential attack vectors for privilege escalation and data theft. When files remain in temporary directories after application exit or crash events, they become accessible to any process or user with appropriate permissions to read those locations. This persistent exposure means that even if users believe their data is secure within the application, the temporary file remnants can be accessed by malware, system administrators, or other unauthorized parties. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates silently in the background without user notification, making detection and remediation challenging for system administrators.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-200 (Information Exposure) categories, representing a failure to properly secure sensitive data during application runtime operations. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1005 (Data from Local System) as it enables unauthorized access to sensitive data stored in temporary locations. The persistence of decrypted files in temporary directories creates an environment where data leakage can occur without user awareness, undermining the fundamental security assurances that encryption software should provide. Organizations relying on SanDisk Secure Access for data protection face significant risks, as the vulnerability effectively negates the encryption benefits while potentially exposing sensitive information to unauthorized access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper temporary file cleanup procedures and enhanced access controls for temporary storage locations. System administrators should ensure that temporary directories used by the application have restricted access permissions and that automatic cleanup mechanisms are implemented to remove temporary files upon application termination. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual access patterns to temporary directories where sensitive data might be stored. The most effective long-term solution involves updating to patched versions of SanDisk Secure Access that properly implement temporary file management and ensure complete cleanup of decrypted data upon application exit or system crash scenarios.