CVE-2023-39227 in MedDream PACS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/11/2023
?Softneta MedDream PACS stores usernames and passwords in plaintext. The plaintext storage could be abused by attackers to leak legitimate user’s credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-39227 affects Softneta MedDream PACS software, a medical imaging system used for storing, managing, and retrieving radiological images within healthcare environments. This critical security flaw stems from the improper handling of authentication credentials within the system's architecture, specifically the plaintext storage of user credentials including usernames and passwords. The vulnerability represents a fundamental failure in secure credential management practices that directly impacts the confidentiality and integrity of patient medical data. Healthcare organizations relying on this system face significant risk of unauthorized access to sensitive medical imaging repositories, potentially compromising thousands of patient records and violating healthcare privacy regulations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the application's credential storage mechanism where authentication information is not properly encrypted or hashed before being persisted in the system's database or configuration files. This plaintext storage approach violates established security principles and creates an attack surface where any individual with access to the system's underlying storage can directly extract user credentials without requiring additional exploitation techniques. The flaw operates at the data persistence layer of the application, where user authentication tokens and login credentials are written to disk in an easily readable format rather than being protected through industry-standard cryptographic methods. This design decision creates a persistent security weakness that remains active until the system is properly patched or reconfigured.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft to encompass comprehensive system compromise and potential data breaches within healthcare environments. Attackers who gain access to the system can leverage stolen credentials to authenticate as legitimate users, potentially accessing sensitive patient medical records, imaging data, and associated administrative functions. This credential leakage directly enables privilege escalation attacks and can facilitate lateral movement within healthcare networks where PACS systems often serve as central repositories for critical medical information. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to unauthorized viewing of patient scans, modification of medical records, or complete system takeover, all while maintaining the appearance of legitimate user activity. The risk is particularly severe in healthcare settings where regulatory compliance requirements such as hipaa mandate strict protection of patient information, making credential exposure a serious compliance violation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-39227 should prioritize immediate implementation of proper credential encryption mechanisms and adherence to established security frameworks. Organizations must ensure that all authentication credentials are stored using strong cryptographic hashing algorithms such as bcrypt, scrypt, or PBKDF2, with appropriate salt values to prevent rainbow table attacks. The system should be configured to enforce secure credential storage practices and regular security audits should verify that no plaintext credentials exist within the system's data stores. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication and network segmentation can provide additional layers of protection against credential-based attacks. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability relates to CWE-312, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information through improper storage of credentials, while ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a credential access technique under T1586, highlighting the importance of protecting authentication data from unauthorized access. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that no similar plaintext storage issues exist within the broader healthcare IT infrastructure.