C4 Security Advisory - GE Fanuc Proficy Information Portal 2.6 Authentication Vulnerability

Background
-----------------
GE-Fanuc's Proficy Information Portal 2.6 is a web based reporting
application for the SCADA environment. As such it will usually be installed
in a buffer zone between the SCADA and the corporate network, which makes it
a very sensitive application as it can access both networks.
 
Description
----------------
The login process of Proficy involves sending the username in cleartext and
the password in Base64 encoded format. This transmition can potentially be
intercepted and decoded by an attacker with access to the data traffic.
 
Impact
----------
An attacker can harvest user credentials by intercepting the traffic between
the browser and the Proficy server.
 
Affected Versions
-------------------------
Proficy Information Portal 2.6
Previous versions may be vulnerable, as they were not tested.
 
Workaround/Fix
-----------------------
The vendor issued a KB article on how to resolve this vulnerability at the
GE-Fanuc website, yet the proposed solution was not verified by C4.
 
Additional Information
-------------------------------
For additional information please contact us at info@c4-security.com. Note
that we will respond only to verified utility personnel and governmental
agencies.
The CVE identifier assigned to this vulnerability by CERT is CVE-2008-0174
 
Credit
---------
This vulnerability was discovered by Eyal Udassin of C4.
 
Regards,
 
Eyal Udassin - C4 (Formerly Swift Coders)
33 Jabotinsky St. The Twin Towers #1, Ramat Gan, Israel
eyal.udassin@c4-security.com / www.c4-security.com
<http://www.c4-security.com/> 
+972-547-684989