Bitdefender Comprehensive Security faces susceptibility to Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) intrusions because of incorrect validation of certificates when performing HTTPS scanning.
The existence of this weakness, as detected in multiple CVEs, raises significant concerns for users as it could potentially empower malicious actors to intercept and modify communications with websites.
CVE-2023-6055: Inadequate Certificate Authentication
The initial vulnerability, CVE-2023-6055, exposes that Bitdefender Total Security neglects to properly verify website certificates.
More specifically, the software erroneously regards such certificates as legitimate if the certificate for a site lacks the “Server Authentication” specification in the Extended Key Usage extension.
This oversight opens the door for attackers to conduct MITM attacks, intercepting and potentially modifying data exchanged between users and websites.
Having a CVSS score of 8.6, this vulnerability is deemed highly critical due to its straightforward exploitation potential and the possible impact on confidentiality and integrity.
CVE-2023-6056: Unsecure Reliance on Self-Signed Certificates
Yet another critical flaw, CVE-2023-6056, revolves around the inappropriate trust in self-signed certificates. Bitdefender Total Security demonstrates a tendency to place trust in certificates signed with the RIPEMD-160 hashing algorithm without adequate validation.
This weakness enables malevolent parties to establish SSL connections to any website using self-signed certificates, essentially paving the way for MITM attacks.
With an equivalent high CVSS score of 8.6, this vulnerability accentuates the considerable risk it presents to users.
CVE-2023-6057: Insufficient Trust in DSA-Signed Certificates
The third vulnerability, CVE-2023-6057, pertains to the unsecure trust in certificates issued utilizing the DSA signature algorithm.
Bitdefender Total Security fails to adequately scrutinize the certificate chain for such certificates, offering an opportunity for attackers to exploit this loophole by establishing SSL connections with arbitrary websites.
Similar to the preceding vulnerabilities, this issue comes with a CVSS score of 8.6, highlighting its potential for inflicting notable harm.
CVE-2023-49567: Unsecure Trust in Collision Hash Functions
A recently identified vulnerability, CVE-2023-49567, discloses that Bitdefender Total Security wrongly places trust in certificates issued using MD5 and SHA1 collision hash functions.
These antiquated and insecure hashing methods empower attackers to craft counterfeit certificates that appear legitimate, ultimately enabling MITM SSL connections to any websites.
Given its CVSS score of 8.6, this vulnerability underscores its severity owing to its capacity to significantly impact user data integrity and confidentiality.
CVE-2023-49570: Unsecure Trust in Basic Constraints Certificates
Another crucial concern, CVE-2023-49570, revolves around the improper trust in certificates where the “Basic Constraints” extension indicates their intended use for “End Entity” purposes.
Bitdefender Total Security neglects to verify whether the issuing entity holds the authorization to issue such certificates.
This vulnerability could provide attackers with an avenue to execute MITM attacks by intercepting and altering communications between users and websites. Also featuring a CVSS score of 8.6, the seriousness of implications for user security is evident.
Bitdefender responded promptly by issuing an automatic update to version 27.0.25.115 of the product, addressing these vulnerabilities.
It is highly recommended for users to ensure their software is updated to this version or later to mitigate the risks of potential exploitation.
These vulnerabilities underscore the critical necessity of robust certificate validation in cybersecurity solutions.
Given that HTTPS scanning is a prevalent feature in various security solutions, maintaining stringent validation processes is crucial to upholding user trust and online safety.
The article Bitdefender Total Security Vulnerability Exposes Users to Man-in-the-Middle Attacks was originally published on Cyber Security News.