CVE-2024-45751 in tgt
Summary
by MITRE • 09/06/2024
tgt (aka Linux target framework) before 1.0.93 attempts to achieve entropy by calling rand without srand. The PRNG seed is always 1, and thus the sequence of challenges is always identical.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-45751 affects the Linux target framework component known as tgt, specifically versions prior to 1.0.93. This issue represents a critical weakness in the cryptographic randomness implementation that underpins the security of the system's challenge-response mechanisms. The flaw manifests in the improper initialization of the pseudo-random number generator used for generating entropy within the target framework's operations.
The technical root cause stems from the application's failure to properly seed the random number generator before invoking random number generation functions. Specifically, the code calls rand() without first executing srand() to establish an appropriate seed value. This oversight results in the pseudo-random number generator being initialized with a fixed seed value of 1, which is a well-known default in many implementations of the C standard library. When a pseudo-random number generator is seeded with the same value repeatedly, it produces identical sequences of numbers, fundamentally undermining the randomness required for security-sensitive operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and directly affects the security posture of systems relying on tgt for their target framework operations. Since the sequence of challenges generated remains identical across different instances and time periods, attackers can predict future challenge values based on observed patterns. This predictability compromises the integrity of authentication mechanisms that depend on random challenges, potentially enabling various attack vectors including replay attacks, brute force attempts against predictable challenge sequences, and session hijacking scenarios. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-330, which addresses insufficient entropy in random number generation, and represents a clear violation of security best practices for cryptographic operations.
The implications extend beyond simple predictability issues as this flaw affects the fundamental security assumptions of the target framework's challenge-response protocols. Systems utilizing tgt for storage target operations, particularly those involving authentication or access control, become vulnerable to attacks that exploit the deterministic nature of the challenge generation process. Attackers who can observe the system's behavior and capture challenge sequences can potentially reverse-engineer the pseudo-random number generator state, enabling them to predict future challenges and gain unauthorized access to protected resources. This vulnerability demonstrates a critical failure in secure coding practices and highlights the importance of proper random number generation initialization in security-sensitive applications. Organizations should immediately update to tgt version 1.0.93 or later to remediate this issue and ensure that all random number generation within the framework is properly seeded using appropriate entropy sources such as /dev/urandom or similar cryptographically secure random number generators. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under initial access and credential access tactics, specifically targeting the exploitation of weak random number generation as a means to bypass authentication mechanisms.