CVE-2018-12240 in Identity Safe
Summary
by MITRE
The Norton Identity Safe product prior to 5.3.0.976 may be susceptible to a privilege escalation issue via a hard coded IV, which is a type of vulnerability that can potentially increase the likelihood of encrypted data being recovered without adequate credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-12240 affects Norton Identity Safe versions prior to 5.3.0.976 and represents a critical security flaw involving improper cryptographic implementation. This issue stems from the use of a hardcoded initialization vector within the encryption mechanism, creating a predictable pattern that significantly weakens the overall security posture of the affected software. The vulnerability falls under the broader category of cryptographic weaknesses that can be classified as CWE-327, which specifically addresses the use of insecure or weak cryptographic algorithms and implementation practices. The presence of a hardcoded IV in the encryption process creates a deterministic encryption scenario where identical plaintext values will always produce identical ciphertext outputs, making the system susceptible to pattern analysis and cryptanalytic attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker can observe or intercept encrypted communications and leverage the predictable IV to perform statistical analysis on the encrypted data. This weakness allows for potential decryption attempts without possessing the proper authentication credentials, as the hardcoded IV removes the randomness essential for cryptographic security. The impact extends beyond simple data confidentiality breaches, as successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive personal information stored within the identity safe. Attackers could potentially reconstruct user credentials, account details, and other personally identifiable information by analyzing the predictable encryption patterns, particularly when dealing with repetitive or structured data inputs.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are severe for both individual users and organizations relying on Norton Identity Safe for password management and identity protection. The privilege escalation aspect means that an attacker who gains access to the system could potentially elevate their privileges to access all stored credentials and sensitive information without proper authentication. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers the exploitation of weak or predictable cryptographic implementations to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Norton Identity Safe is designed to store highly sensitive information including passwords, credit card details, and personal identification numbers, making the potential compromise of such data extremely damaging to user privacy and security.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of all affected Norton Identity Safe installations to version 5.3.0.976 or later, which presumably addresses the hardcoded IV issue through proper cryptographic implementation. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected versions and implement mandatory update policies to ensure all instances are patched. Additionally, security teams should monitor for any attempts to exploit this weakness in their networks and consider implementing additional layers of protection such as network segmentation and enhanced monitoring of credential access patterns. The remediation process should also include reviewing other cryptographic implementations within the organization to ensure similar hardcoded elements are not present in other security products or custom applications, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic key management and the avoidance of predictable elements in encryption processes.