SMB2 Server Time Vulnerability Scanner

dionaea is primarily used as a honeypot by cybersecurity researchers and analysts to detect and study malicious activities on networks. Developed with a focus on catching malware exploiting vulnerabilities in protocols like SMB, it provides insights into attack methodologies. Deployed in various environments, dionaea helps in understanding the prevalence of different malware. It assists system administrators and security teams in creating stronger defense mechanisms. Its adaptability and scalability make it useful for organizations aiming to fortify their cybersecurity posture. Additionally, it serves as a valuable resource in academic research for analyzing cyber threats.

The vulnerability targeted by this scanner focuses on enumerating information available from an SMB2 server. Specifically, it detects the current system date and the server's initiation date. Enumeration vulnerabilities like these can provide detailed system information to potential attackers. Knowing the initiation date may assist in inferring server uptime and potential maintenance gaps. Information on the current system time can synchronize attack plans for timing-sensitive exploits. Therefore, this kind of enumeration, although primarily informational, poses indirect security threats.

The technical aspect of this vulnerability involves the response data from an SMB2 server query. By analyzing negotiation logs, specific timestamps such as system and server start times are extracted. The vulnerable endpoint is generally the SMB service listening on port 445. The template connects to this service to retrieve relevant information, which can include sensitive system details. Extracting such data, even if not directly harmful, reveals metadata that could be useful in planning future attacks. The inherent risk lies in the ease with which an attacker can obtain information without authentication.

When exploited, this enumeration could facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as replay attacks or time-based exploits. An adversary could plan downtime intrusion or synchronize attacks with known low activity periods. Furthermore, the extracted information might help in crafting social engineering attacks by providing context about the system environment. Continuous exposure to such enumeration could lead to a loss of confidentiality. Although seemingly innocuous, over time it can contribute to a cumulative security risk. Consequently, proper monitoring and response strategies should be implemented to mitigate these indirect threats.

REFERENCES

• https://nmap.org/nsedoc/scripts/smb2-time.html