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Insecure service configuration - Salt

Description​

Salt is generated in an insecure way, which makes the password easier to guess.

Impact​

Obtain valid credentials through dictionary attacks.

Recommendation​

Generate the Salt with a secure hashing function.

Threat​

Anonymous attacker from the Internet.

Expected Remediation Time​

⌚ 30 minutes.

Score​

Default score using CVSS 3.1. It may change depending on the context of the vulnerability.

Base​

  • Attack vector: N
  • Attack complexity: H
  • Privileges required: N
  • User interaction: N
  • Scope: U
  • Confidentiality: L
  • Integrity: N
  • Availability: N

Temporal​

  • Exploit code madurity: P
  • Remediation level: O
  • Report confidence: X

Result​

  • Vector string: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N/E:P/RL:O/RC:X
  • Score:
    • Base: 3.7
    • Temporal: 3.4
  • Severity:
    • Base: Low
    • Temporal: Low

Code Examples​

Compliant code​

The hashing configuration is set up with a secure hashing function

namespace Controllers {
  public class Encrypt {
    public static void Process(string password) {
      var salt = RNGCryptoServiceProvider().GetBytes(salt=new byte[16]);
      var fromHardcoded = new Rfc2898DeriveBytes(password, salt);
      var fromPassword = new Rfc2898DeriveBytes(password, Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("test"));
      var fromUnicode = new Rfc2898DeriveBytes(password, Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes("test"));
    }
  }
}

Non compliant code​

The service configuration uses an insecure hashing function

namespace Controllers {
  public class Encrypt {
    public static void Process(string password) {
      var salt = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("salt");
      var fromHardcoded = new Rfc2898DeriveBytes(password, salt);
      var fromPassword = new Rfc2898DeriveBytes(password, Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("test"));
      var fromUnicode = new Rfc2898DeriveBytes(password, Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes("test"));
    }
  }
}

Requirements​