CVE-2019-16067 in Enigma NMS
Summary
by MITRE
NETSAS Enigma NMS 65.0.0 and prior utilises basic authentication over HTTP for enforcing access control to the web application. The use of weak authentication transmitted over cleartext protocols can allow an attacker to steal username and password combinations by intercepting authentication traffic in transit.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-16067 affects NETSAS Enigma Network Management System version 65.0.0 and earlier releases, representing a critical security flaw in the application's authentication mechanism. This weakness stems from the system's reliance on basic authentication over unencrypted HTTP connections, creating a fundamental security gap that exposes sensitive credentials to interception attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates a clear failure in implementing secure authentication practices and violates established security principles for protecting sensitive information in transit.
The technical flaw manifests through the use of cleartext transmission of authentication credentials over HTTP protocols, which provides attackers with multiple attack vectors for credential theft. When users authenticate to the web application, their username and password combinations are transmitted in plain text without any encryption or additional security measures. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-312, which describes the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext transmission, and represents a classic example of weak authentication implementation that allows for man-in-the-middle attacks and network traffic interception. The basic authentication scheme used by the system does not provide any cryptographic protection for the credentials during transmission, making it trivial for attackers to capture these credentials using standard network monitoring tools.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as compromised authentication information can lead to complete system compromise and unauthorized access to network management functions. An attacker who successfully intercepts the cleartext credentials can gain full administrative access to the network management system, potentially allowing them to modify network configurations, access sensitive network data, or establish persistent backdoors within the network infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on network management systems for critical infrastructure monitoring, as the compromise of such systems can have cascading effects on network security and operational continuity. The attack surface is further expanded when considering that HTTP traffic is often unencrypted in many network environments, making interception attacks relatively straightforward for threat actors with access to network segments.
Effective mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of secure communication protocols and authentication mechanisms. Organizations should implement HTTPS encryption with strong TLS configurations to protect authentication traffic from interception, ensuring that all communication between clients and the web application is encrypted using robust cryptographic protocols. The system should be updated to enforce secure authentication methods such as token-based authentication or multi-factor authentication, eliminating the use of basic authentication over cleartext protocols. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts, while security policies should be updated to mandate the use of encrypted communication channels for all administrative access. These remediation efforts align with ATT&CK technique T1078 which addresses valid accounts and credential access, and the mitigation approaches should follow industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 for secure configuration management and authentication controls. The vulnerability serves as a clear example of why organizations must implement defense-in-depth strategies that include both network-level encryption and robust authentication mechanisms to protect against credential-based attacks.