Authentication bypass via time-seeded password generation
Published Feb 11, 2020 · Updated Aug 6, 2024
Weak password generation in KDE Paste Applet before 4.10.5 allows context-dependent attackers to bypass authentication by brute force. The password macro in pastemacroexpander.cpp reseeds qrand with a wall-clock-derived value for each request, sharply constraining the output search space. Exploitation requires a generated password or its hash plus timing information, and successful recovery grants access only to resources protected by that password.
Summary
What happened
Weak password generation in KDE Paste Applet before 4.10.5 allows context-dependent attackers to bypass authentication by brute force. The password macro in pastemacroexpander.cpp reseeds qrand with a wall-clock-derived value for each request, sharply constraining the output search space. Exploitation requires a generated password or its hash plus timing information, and successful recovery grants access only to resources protected by that password.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2013-2120
- Published
- Feb 11, 2020
- Updated
- Aug 6, 2024
- Vendor
- KDE
- Product
- Paste Applet
- Classifications
- CWE-287, T1110.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 11, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 6, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=before 4.10.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- Time-seeded password recovery methodproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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