A medium-severity vulnerability has emerged within Synology’s DiskStation Manager (DSM), posing significant risks to administrative account security. This flaw enables potential attackers to reverse-engineer an administrator’s password, potentially leading to a complete account takeover.
According to Sharon Brizinov from Claroty, under specific circumstances, an assailant could leverage the flaw to extract critical data sufficient to reestablish the seed for the pseudorandom number generator (PRNG). From this reconstructed seed, the administrator password could be systematically determined, facilitating unauthorized access to the account.
This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2023-2729, has been assigned a severity score of 5.9 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) scale. Synology promptly addressed this issue through security updates that were released in June 2023.
The underlying problem stems from the software’s reliance on an inadequate random number generator, specifically utilizing JavaScript’s Math.random() method during the process of creating the administrator password for network-attached storage (NAS) devices. This method is criticized for “insecure randomness,” as it may produce predictable values, thereby offering attackers a feasible path to decrypt sensitive data.
The implications of this vulnerability are profound; successful exploitation could allow adversaries to anticipate the generated password, thereby gaining access to restricted areas of the system. Brizinov elaborated on the attack vector, explaining that by extracting several Math.Random-generated numbers, they could successfully deduce the PRNG seed and brute-force the admin password.
However, executing such an attack requires extracting specific GUIDs generated during the setup phase, which complicates the scenario. Brizinov emphasized that in real-world applications, attackers would have to navigate a series of challenges to obtain the GUIDs, brute force the Math.Random state, and ultimately gain the admin password. Importantly, by default, the built-in admin account remains disabled, which adds an additional layer of protection.
As a critical takeaway, Brizinov highlighted the inherent weaknesses of the Math.random() function, urging developers and security professionals alike to shun its use in security-sensitive applications. Instead, the adoption of the Web Crypto API, particularly the window.crypto.getRandomValues() method, is recommended for generating cryptographically secure random numbers.
In terms of potential tactics that could be categorized under the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this incident aligns with various techniques such as initial access via credential dumping and privilege escalation due to the ability to gain administrative privileges. The nuances of this attack exemplify the critical importance of robust random number generation methods in safeguarding sensitive information against unauthorized access.
As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, organizations are urged to stay vigilant and proactive in implementing necessary security measures to protect against vulnerabilities such as this one, which poses a tangible risk to system integrity. For business owners, understanding the dynamics of such vulnerabilities is essential in maintaining a secure operational environment.
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