CVE-2019-0179 in Open CIT
Summary
by MITRE
Insufficient password protection in the attestation database for Open CIT may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-0179 resides within the Open CIT attestation database implementation where insufficient password protection mechanisms exist to safeguard sensitive data. This weakness specifically affects the authentication and authorization controls that govern access to attestation records, creating a potential pathway for information disclosure when an attacker gains local system access. The flaw represents a critical oversight in the security architecture of the Open CIT framework, which is designed to provide cryptographic attestation services for verifying the integrity and authenticity of computing environments.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate password protection mechanisms within the attestation database subsystem. When an authenticated user gains local access to the system, they can potentially exploit this weakness to bypass normal access controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive attestation data. This represents a failure in implementing proper cryptographic key management and access control policies. The vulnerability manifests when the system fails to adequately protect database credentials or authentication tokens that are necessary to access the attestation records, allowing for potential privilege escalation or unauthorized data access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it could enable an attacker with local access to extract sensitive cryptographic attestations that may contain confidential information about system configurations, software versions, or security policies. This type of exposure could compromise the integrity of the entire attestation process and potentially undermine trust in the cryptographic verification mechanisms that Open CIT is designed to provide. The vulnerability affects systems where local access is possible, making it particularly concerning for environments where physical or administrative access controls may be insufficient.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of CWE-521 Weak Password Requirements and CWE-312 Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Data, as it demonstrates how inadequate password policies and insufficient data protection measures can create exploitable conditions. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this as a privilege escalation technique through credential access, where an attacker leverages local authentication to gain deeper access to sensitive information. Organizations should implement robust password policies, enforce strong authentication mechanisms, and ensure proper database access controls are in place. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in cryptographic attestation systems and other security-critical components.