CVE-2021-34688 in RemotePC
Summary
by MITRE • 07/15/2021
iDrive RemotePC before 7.6.48 on Windows allows information disclosure. A locally authenticated attacker can read an encrypted version of the system's Personal Key in world-readable %PROGRAMDATA% log files. The encryption is done using a hard-coded static key and is therefore reversible by an attacker.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2021
The vulnerability CVE-2021-34688 affects iDrive RemotePC versions prior to 7.6.48 on Windows systems, presenting a significant information disclosure risk that stems from improper file permission handling and weak cryptographic practices. This flaw allows a locally authenticated attacker to access sensitive system information through world-readable log files located in the %PROGRAMDATA% directory, creating an attack surface that violates fundamental security principles of access control and data protection.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a critical flaw in the application's security design where the Personal Key, a crucial system component used for authentication and encryption purposes, is stored in an unsecured manner within log files. The system employs a hard-coded static encryption key for protecting this sensitive information, which represents a severe deviation from accepted cryptographic best practices. This approach directly violates the principle of key management security and makes the encryption trivially reversible by any attacker who gains access to the log files, effectively rendering the encryption meaningless.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a substantial risk for systems running affected versions of iDrive RemotePC, as it provides attackers with a straightforward path to obtain system authentication credentials. The locally authenticated nature of the attack means that an attacker must first gain local access to the system, but once achieved, they can easily extract the Personal Key and potentially use it for further attacks including privilege escalation, lateral movement, or unauthorized system access. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as the Personal Key could enable attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain deeper system access.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper file permissions, and CWE-310, which covers cryptographic issues related to weak encryption. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the privilege escalation and credential access phases of the ATT&CK matrix, specifically targeting techniques related to credential dumping and access token manipulation. The weakness in file permission handling combined with the use of a static key demonstrates poor security engineering practices that violate the principle of least privilege and secure by design concepts.
Organizations should immediately update to iDrive RemotePC version 7.6.48 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the patch addresses both the file permission issues and implements proper encryption mechanisms. Additionally, system administrators should conduct thorough audits of the %PROGRAMDATA% directory to ensure no sensitive information remains accessible to unauthorized users, and implement monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to system log files. The remediation process should also include reviewing and hardening file permissions for all system directories containing sensitive information, ensuring that only authorized processes and users have appropriate access levels to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other applications.