CVE-2022-3376 in rdiffweb
Summary
by MITRE • 10/06/2022
Weak Password Requirements in GitHub repository ikus060/rdiffweb prior to 2.5.0a4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-3376 represents a critical weakness in the authentication mechanisms of the rdiffweb repository management system developed by ikus060. This issue specifically targets the password policy implementation within the software's user authentication framework, creating a significant security risk that could be exploited by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to sensitive repository data. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 2.5.0a4, indicating that the developers recognized and addressed this weakness in subsequent releases, though the window of exposure for affected systems remains concerning.
The technical flaw manifests through insufficient password complexity requirements and weak validation mechanisms that allow users to create accounts with easily guessable or commonly used passwords. This weakness directly violates established security principles and best practices for credential management, as it fails to enforce minimum entropy requirements, length constraints, or prohibitions against commonly used passwords. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and authentication policy enforcement within the application's user registration and account management components, creating an attack surface that could be exploited through various methods including brute force attacks, credential stuffing, or dictionary-based password guessing techniques.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly increases the risk of unauthorized access to repository contents, potentially exposing sensitive source code, configuration files, and other intellectual property to malicious parties. The weakness creates a persistent threat vector that could be leveraged to compromise entire development environments, steal proprietary information, or disrupt development workflows. Organizations relying on affected versions of rdiffweb may experience data breaches, compliance violations, and operational disruptions that could have far-reaching consequences for their software development processes and overall security posture. The vulnerability also increases the potential for lateral movement within network environments if the compromised accounts have elevated privileges or access to interconnected systems.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-521 Weak Password Requirements, which specifically addresses the issue of insufficient password strength policies that make systems susceptible to various authentication attacks. This weakness can be categorized under the broader ATT&CK framework as part of the Credential Access tactics, specifically targeting T1110.001 Brute Force and T1110.003 Password Guessing techniques. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to version 2.5.0a4 or later, enforcing strong password policies, implementing account lockout mechanisms, and conducting thorough security assessments of affected systems. Additionally, security teams should review and strengthen their overall authentication frameworks to prevent similar weaknesses in other applications and systems within their infrastructure.
The remediation process for this vulnerability requires comprehensive system updates and policy enforcement measures to ensure that all affected installations receive the necessary security patches. Organizations should conduct inventory assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable versions and establish automated patch management processes to prevent similar issues in the future. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous login patterns and potential exploitation attempts, while access controls should be reviewed and strengthened to minimize the impact of any successful attacks. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining robust authentication mechanisms and the necessity of regular security assessments to identify and address potential weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors.