CVE-2022-0835 in System Platform
Summary
by MITRE • 04/12/2022
AVEVA System Platform 2020 stores sensitive information in cleartext, which may allow access to an attacker or a low-privileged user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2022
The CVE-2022-0835 vulnerability affects AVEVA System Platform 2020, a industrial automation and control systems platform widely used in critical infrastructure environments. This vulnerability represents a significant security flaw where the system fails to properly encrypt sensitive data during storage operations, leaving confidential information exposed in plaintext format. The issue stems from inadequate data protection mechanisms within the platform's storage architecture, which directly violates fundamental security principles for protecting sensitive information in enterprise environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the platform's failure to employ proper encryption controls when storing authentication credentials, configuration data, or other sensitive operational parameters. This cleartext storage behavior creates an exploitable condition where any user with access to the system's storage layers can directly read and extract sensitive information without requiring additional authentication or authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability falls under CWE-312, which specifically addresses the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext storage, and represents a critical weakness in the platform's data protection architecture. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to system credentials, operational parameters, or other confidential data that should remain protected.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-0835 extends beyond simple credential theft, as it can enable attackers to gain deeper system access and potentially compromise entire industrial control networks. Low-privileged users who gain access to the storage areas can exploit this vulnerability to extract sensitive information that may include database connection strings, API keys, or other critical operational data. This weakness creates opportunities for lateral movement within industrial environments and can facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as those targeting the industrial control systems framework. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers the exploitation of credentials stored in cleartext, and represents a critical risk to operational technology environments where system integrity and confidentiality are paramount.
Organizations utilizing AVEVA System Platform 2020 must implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, including the deployment of proper encryption mechanisms for all sensitive data at rest, regular security assessments of storage configurations, and implementation of access controls to limit exposure of sensitive storage areas. System administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of stored data to identify and remediate any cleartext information, while also implementing monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts to sensitive storage locations. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of adhering to security standards such as NIST SP 800-53 controls for data protection and emphasizes the need for comprehensive security architectures in industrial environments that properly address both network and data-at-rest protection requirements.