CVE-2017-5186 in iManager
Summary
by MITRE
Novell iManager 2.7 before SP7 Patch 9, NetIQ iManager 3.x before 3.0.2.1, Novell eDirectory 8.8.x before 8.8 SP8 Patch 9 Hotfix 2, and NetIQ eDirectory 9.x before 9.0.2 Hotfix 2 (9.0.2.2) use the deprecated MD5 hashing algorithm in a communications certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5186 represents a critical cryptographic weakness in Novell iManager and NetIQ eDirectory products that exposes systems to significant security risks through the use of deprecated MD5 hashing algorithms. This vulnerability affects multiple versions of enterprise directory services software including Novell iManager 2.7 before SP7 Patch 9, NetIQ iManager 3.x before 3.0.2.1, Novell eDirectory 8.8.x before 8.8 SP8 Patch 9 Hotfix 2, and NetIQ eDirectory 9.x before 9.0.2 Hotfix 2. The core technical flaw lies in the implementation of communications certificates that rely on MD5 hashing, which has been widely recognized as cryptographically insecure since 2005. The MD5 algorithm suffers from fundamental mathematical weaknesses that make it vulnerable to collision attacks, where attackers can generate two different inputs that produce identical hash outputs. This weakness directly violates industry standards and best practices established by organizations such as NIST and the NSA, which have explicitly deprecated MD5 for security-sensitive applications since 2005 and 2011 respectively.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple cryptographic weakness to encompass serious threats to system integrity and confidentiality. When systems rely on MD5 for certificate validation, they become susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks where malicious actors can exploit hash collisions to impersonate legitimate services or intercept communications. The vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to perform certificate forgery, which can lead to unauthorized access to directory services, privilege escalation, and potential lateral movement within network environments. This risk is particularly severe in enterprise environments where directory services serve as foundational infrastructure for authentication, authorization, and identity management. The use of MD5 in certificate contexts directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for credentials from password storage, as compromised certificates can provide attackers with legitimate access credentials. Additionally, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-327 which specifically addresses the use of weak cryptographic algorithms, and CWE-310 which covers cryptographic issues related to key management and algorithm selection.
Organizations affected by CVE-2017-5186 must implement immediate remediation measures to address the cryptographic weaknesses in their directory services infrastructure. The primary mitigation involves upgrading to patched versions of the affected software, specifically ensuring that Novell iManager reaches SP7 Patch 9 or later, NetIQ iManager reaches 3.0.2.1 or later, and both Novell and NetIQ eDirectory reach their respective hotfix versions. System administrators should also implement certificate revocation procedures for any affected certificates that may have been compromised, and consider implementing additional monitoring to detect unauthorized certificate changes or suspicious authentication patterns. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of updated systems to ensure that the cryptographic improvements do not introduce compatibility issues with existing applications or services that depend on the directory infrastructure. Security teams must also conduct thorough assessments of their certificate management practices to identify any other instances where deprecated cryptographic algorithms may be in use, as this vulnerability serves as a symptom of broader cryptographic hygiene issues that can compromise overall security posture. Organizations should consider implementing automated certificate monitoring solutions that can alert administrators to the presence of weak cryptographic algorithms in their environment, and establish policies for regular cryptographic algorithm reviews that align with current security standards and best practices.