CVE-2004-2591

Vulnerability

ButtUglySoftware CleanCache version 2.19 includes a data-overwrite capability intended to securely erase file contents. However, due to improper implementation, the overwrite process does not reliably replace the original data on the storage medium, leaving remnants that can be recovered [1].

Exploitation

An attacker with physical or logical access to the storage media after CleanCache has performed its overwrite operation can use file recovery or forensic tools to read residual data from the sectors that were not fully overwritten. No special privileges beyond standard user access are required to perform the recovery [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to recover sensitive data that the user believed had been securely deleted. This leads to unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, violating the confidentiality of the affected files [1].

Mitigation

No patched version or vendor fix was released for CleanCache 2.19. Users should avoid relying on this tool for secure deletion and instead use a utility known to comply with data-sanitization standards. As of 2004, this product may be end-of-life [1].