CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2021-20171

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information

Published: Dec 30, 2021 | Modified: Jan 11, 2022
CVSS 3.x
5.5
MEDIUM
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS 2.x
2.1 LOW
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu

Netgear RAX43 version 1.0.3.96 stores sensitive information in plaintext. All usernames and passwords for the devices associated services are stored in plaintext on the device. For example, the admin password is stored in plaintext in the primary configuration file on the device.

Weakness

The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.

Affected Software

Name Vendor Start Version End Version
Rax43_firmware Netgear 1.0.3.96 (including) 1.0.3.96 (including)

Extended Description

Because the information is stored in cleartext (i.e., unencrypted), attackers could potentially read it. Even if the information is encoded in a way that is not human-readable, certain techniques could determine which encoding is being used, then decode the information. When organizations adopt cloud services, it can be easier for attackers to access the data from anywhere on the Internet. In some systems/environments such as cloud, the use of “double encryption” (at both the software and hardware layer) might be required, and the developer might be solely responsible for both layers, instead of shared responsibility with the administrator of the broader system/environment.

Potential Mitigations

References