CVE-2018-7958 in eSpace
Summary
by MITRE
There is an anonymous TLS cipher suites supported vulnerability in Huawei eSpace product. An unauthenticated, remote attacker launches man-in-the-middle attack to hijack the connection from a client when the user signs up to log in by TLS. Due to insufficient authentication, which may be exploited to intercept and tamper with the data information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7958 represents a critical security flaw in Huawei eSpace products that stems from improper handling of TLS cipher suite negotiation. This weakness allows attackers to exploit the absence of proper authentication mechanisms during the TLS handshake process, specifically when users attempt to authenticate through TLS connections. The vulnerability manifests when the system accepts anonymous TLS cipher suites, which should never be permitted in secure communications environments. This design flaw creates an exploitable condition where remote attackers can intercept and manipulate data flows without requiring any credentials or authentication. The issue particularly affects the authentication phase of user login processes, where the system fails to validate the legitimacy of the connection establishment, opening pathways for malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient validation of TLS cipher suite selection during the secure communication establishment process. When users attempt to authenticate with the eSpace system, the TLS implementation accepts anonymous cipher suites that do not require client authentication or certificate validation. This behavior violates fundamental security principles and creates a dangerous condition where attackers can establish connections without proper verification. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-327, which addresses the use of weak cryptographic algorithms and improper cryptographic key management. The system's failure to enforce strict TLS cipher suite requirements allows for downgrade attacks and weak encryption scenarios that compromise the integrity and confidentiality of communications. This weakness specifically targets the TLS handshake mechanism and the authentication protocols that should normally validate the identity of communicating parties.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-7958 extends beyond simple data interception to encompass complete session hijacking capabilities for remote attackers. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability to establish fraudulent connections with legitimate users, potentially gaining access to sensitive business communications and data. The man-in-the-middle attack vector enables attackers to not only monitor communications but also modify data in transit, creating opportunities for data tampering and service disruption. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where eSpace systems handle confidential customer information, business communications, and sensitive operational data. The attack can be executed remotely without requiring physical access or prior credentials, making it especially dangerous for organizations with distributed user bases. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability can be leveraged to compromise the entire communication infrastructure, potentially affecting multiple users and systems within the affected network.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling anonymous TLS cipher suites and enforcing strict TLS configuration policies that require certificate-based authentication. The recommended approach involves configuring the eSpace systems to reject any connection attempts that utilize anonymous cipher suites or unauthenticated TLS negotiations. Security teams should also implement network monitoring solutions to detect suspicious TLS handshake patterns and anomalous connection behaviors that may indicate exploitation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to technique T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential harvesting through man-in-the-middle attacks. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify all instances of affected Huawei eSpace implementations and ensure proper TLS configuration. Regular security updates and patches from Huawei should be applied immediately, while network segmentation and additional authentication layers should be implemented to reduce the attack surface and provide defense-in-depth protection against similar vulnerabilities.