CVE-2019-18285 in SPPA-T3000 Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability has been identified in SPPA-T3000 Application Server (All versions). The RMI communication between the client and the Application Server is unencrypted. An attacker with access to the communication channel can read credentials of a valid user. Please note that an attacker needs to have access to the Application Highway in order to exploit this vulnerability. At the time of advisory publication no public exploitation of this security vulnerability was known.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-18285 affects the SPPA-T3000 Application Server, a critical component in industrial automation environments where secure communication is paramount. This weakness represents a significant security gap in the system's architecture, specifically within its remote method invocation (RMI) communication protocol implementation. The flaw exists in all versions of the application server, indicating a widespread exposure across deployed systems that could potentially impact numerous industrial control environments.
The core technical issue stems from the absence of encryption in the RMI communication channel between client applications and the SPPA-T3000 Application Server. This unencrypted communication creates a man-in-the-middle attack vector where sensitive data transmitted between the client and server can be intercepted and read by unauthorized parties. The vulnerability specifically targets the authentication credentials that flow through this communication channel, making it particularly dangerous for systems where user authentication is critical for operational security.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a serious risk for industrial environments where the SPPA-T3000 Application Server serves as a central component in process automation and control systems. An attacker who gains access to the network communication channel can potentially extract valid user credentials, which could then be used to gain unauthorized access to the application server and subsequently to the broader industrial control system. The requirement for attacker access to the Application Highway, while providing some network-level protection, does not eliminate the threat as network segmentation is often insufficient to prevent all attack vectors in industrial environments.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-319, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information through network transmission, and represents a classic example of insufficient encryption in network communications. From an attack framework perspective, this weakness would likely be categorized under the credential access and defense evasion tactics in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, as it enables attackers to harvest authentication credentials without requiring direct physical access to the system. The lack of public exploitation at the time of advisory publication does not diminish its severity, as the potential for automated exploitation tools to be developed exists given the clear attack surface and the widespread deployment of affected systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate the affected application server from less secure network segments, deployment of network monitoring tools to detect anomalous communication patterns, and consideration of network-based intrusion detection systems to identify potential credential harvesting attempts. Additionally, organizations should evaluate their network infrastructure to ensure that the Application Highway is properly secured and that access controls are implemented to prevent unauthorized network access to the communication channel. The most effective long-term solution involves implementing proper encryption protocols for all RMI communications and ensuring that authentication mechanisms are protected through secure transport layers.