CVE-2003-0692

Vulnerability

KDM, the KDE Display Manager in KDE 3.1.3 and earlier, generates session cookies using a weak algorithm that does not provide 128 bits of entropy [3]. This vulnerability allows the session cookies to be guessed via brute force methods, compromising the authentication mechanism that is intended to protect user sessions.

Exploitation

An attacker with network access to the KDM service can attempt to brute-force the session cookie. No special privileges or user interaction beyond the existence of an active login session is required; the attacker simply needs to repeatedly connect and guess the cookie value [1][2]. The weak entropy makes such brute-force attacks feasible within a reasonable timeframe.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to obtain a valid session cookie and gain unauthorized access to the target user's session. This can lead to disclosure of sensitive information, modification of files, or other actions within the scope of the compromised user's privileges [3].

Mitigation

KDE has addressed this issue in KDE 3.1.4 by improving the session cookie generation algorithm to provide full 128-bit entropy [3]. Red Hat released updates RHSA-2003:270 and RHSA-2003:288 to fix the flaw in Red Hat Linux [1][2]. Debian also published a security advisory (DSA-388) for their distributions [4]. Users should upgrade KDM to the patched version or apply the appropriate vendor update.