CVE-2025-30049 in CLININET
Summary
by MITRE • 10/23/2026
The CGM CLININET application stores user passwords as unsalted MD5 hashes.
This issue was fixed in versions 2026.MS1 and 2026.MS3
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2026
CGM CliniNet is a clinical information system widely deployed in healthcare environments to manage patient data, laboratory results, and medical records. The security of such systems relies heavily on the robust protection of user credentials, as these accounts often provide access to sensitive protected health information subject to regulations like HIPAA or GDPR. In versions prior to 2026.MS1 and 2026.MS3, the application implemented a critical authentication flaw by storing user passwords using unsalted MD5 hashes. This implementation represents a significant deviation from modern cryptographic best practices for password storage and introduces severe risks regarding credential compromise.
The core technical vulnerability lies in the use of the Message Digest algorithm 5 (MD5) without the addition of salt values during hashing operations. MD5 is an outdated cryptographic hash function that produces a 128-bit hash value, but it has been cryptographically broken for many years due to its susceptibility to collision attacks and rapid computation speeds on modern hardware. The absence of salting means that identical passwords across different user accounts result in identical hash values within the database. This lack of uniqueness allows attackers to utilize precomputed tables known as rainbow tables to reverse-engineer plaintext passwords from their hashed representations efficiently. Furthermore, because MD5 is computationally inexpensive, brute-force attacks can test millions or billions of password guesses per second using standard consumer-grade hardware or cloud computing resources, drastically reducing the time required to crack weak or common passwords.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft. If an attacker gains access to the underlying database containing these hashes, they can perform offline cracking operations without triggering account lockout mechanisms typically associated with online login attempts. Compromised credentials may lead to unauthorized access to patient records, manipulation of medical data, or lateral movement within the hospital network if password reuse is prevalent among staff members. In a healthcare context, such breaches can result in severe regulatory penalties, loss of institutional reputation, and potential harm to patients if clinical decisions are based on tampered data. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-757: Use of a One-Way Hash without Salt, which highlights the failure to implement sufficient randomness when generating hash values for password storage.
To mitigate this risk, organizations must ensure that all instances of CGM CliniNet running versions earlier than 2026.MS1 or 2026.MS3 are immediately upgraded to a patched version where these cryptographic deficiencies have been addressed. The vendor likely replaced MD5 with a stronger algorithm such as SHA-256 or SHA-3 and implemented proper salting techniques, potentially utilizing established password hashing functions like bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2 which include built-in mechanisms for salt generation and computational cost adjustment. In addition to applying the software patch, administrators should enforce strong password policies that require complexity and length to increase resistance against brute-force attacks even if residual risks remain during transition periods. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that credential storage practices comply with current industry standards such as NIST Special Publication 800-63B for digital identity guidelines, which explicitly discourage the use of MD5 and unsalted hashes in authentication systems.