CVE-2014-9251
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedZenoss Core through 5 Beta 3 uses a weak algorithm to hash passwords, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to obtain cleartext values via a brute-force attack on hash values in the database, aka ZEN-15413.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceZenoss Core through version 5 Beta 3 implements a cryptographically weak algorithm for hashing user passwords stored in the database. This weakness significantly reduces the computational effort required for an attacker to recover cleartext passwords from compromised database hashes through brute-force or dictionary attacks.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 5.0.0= 2.4.0= 2.4.5= 2.5.0= 2.5.1= 2.5.2= 3.0.0= 3.0.1= 3.0.2= 3.0.3= 3.1.0= 3.2.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify installed Zenoss Core versionRun 'zenoss --version' or check the product version in the web interface (typically in About/Help section), or inspect version files in the Zenoss installation directoryAffected if The installed version is 5.0.0 or earlier, or matches any of these specific versions: 2.4.0, 2.4.5, 2.5.0, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 3.0.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.1.0, or 3.2.0
-
Locate password hash storageAccess the Zenoss database (MySQL or PostgreSQL depending on configuration) and query the user authentication table where password hashes are stored, typically named something like 'users', 'principals', or 'auth'Affected if The database contains user password hashes that can be retrieved for analysis
-
Examine password hashing algorithmInspect the password hash format in the database or examine Zenoss configuration files and authentication modules that define the hashing mechanismAffected if Password hashes appear as raw MD5, SHA1 without salt, or another cryptographically weak algorithm (hashes will be short, unsalted, or use a known weak format)
You are affected if your Zenoss Core version is 5.0.0 or earlier (including the specific 2.4.x and 3.x versions listed) and the system uses a weak, unsalted hashing algorithm for password storage.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade to a Zenoss version that implements a modern, salted hashing algorithm such as bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, enforce strong password policies and implement additional compensating controls such as multi-factor authentication and aggressive account lockout policies.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,240.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-9251 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-9251 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data