CVE-2024-42012 in Blocky
Summary
by MITRE • 01/22/2025
GRAU DATA Blocky before 3.1 stores passwords encrypted rather than hashed. At the login screen, the user's password is compared to the user's decrypted cleartext password. An attacker with Windows admin or debugging rights can therefore steal the user's Blocky password and from there impersonate that local user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-42012 affects GRAU DATA Blocky versions prior to 3.1 and represents a critical weakness in the application's authentication mechanism. This flaw stems from the improper handling of password storage and verification processes, creating a significant security risk for local user accounts. The system's failure to implement proper password hashing creates a direct pathway for credential theft and unauthorized access. The vulnerability specifically impacts the login screen functionality where password comparison occurs, making it a prime target for exploitation by malicious actors with elevated privileges.
The technical flaw lies in the implementation of password storage mechanisms where passwords are encrypted using reversible encryption rather than being hashed with appropriate cryptographic functions. This design decision fundamentally undermines the security model of password authentication by storing passwords in a format that can be easily recovered. The system decrypts passwords during the login process and compares them against user input, creating a window of opportunity for attackers who possess administrative or debugging rights on the Windows system. This approach violates fundamental security principles and aligns with CWE-256, which addresses improper password storage, and CWE-312, concerning cleartext storage of sensitive data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft to encompass full user impersonation capabilities and potential lateral movement within the compromised system. An attacker with Windows administrative rights or debugging privileges can directly extract password information from the running application process or memory space. This access level allows for the complete compromise of local user accounts without requiring additional attack vectors such as network-based exploitation or social engineering. The vulnerability creates a direct path to persistent access and can enable further reconnaissance activities, privilege escalation, and data exfiltration from the compromised system. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Windows administrative rights are often available in enterprise environments, making this vulnerability exploitable in numerous production scenarios.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-42012 require immediate implementation of proper password hashing mechanisms and system updates to version 3.1 or later. Organizations should ensure that password storage implementations utilize strong cryptographic hashing algorithms such as bcrypt, scrypt, or PBKDF2 with appropriate salt values to prevent rainbow table attacks and ensure password security. System administrators must enforce least privilege principles and restrict administrative rights to minimize the attack surface where this vulnerability can be exploited. Additionally, monitoring and logging mechanisms should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts and potential credential theft activities. The implementation of multi-factor authentication and regular security audits can provide additional layers of protection. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering, highlighting the need for comprehensive defensive measures. Organizations should also consider implementing memory protection mechanisms and process isolation to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data within running applications. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other applications and systems that may exhibit comparable password storage vulnerabilities.