CVE-2005-0290 in FVS318
Summary
by MITRE
NETGEAR FVS318 running firmware 2.4, and possibly other versions, allows remote attackers to bypass the filters using hex encoded URLs, as demonstrated using a hex encoded file extension.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/05/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-0290 affects NETGEAR FVS318 firewall devices running firmware version 2.4 and potentially other versions. This security flaw represents a significant bypass of the device's built-in filtering mechanisms, allowing unauthorized remote access through carefully crafted hexadecimal encoded URLs. The vulnerability specifically targets the firewall's URL filtering capabilities, which are designed to prevent access to certain file types and potentially malicious content. The issue demonstrates how improper input validation can lead to complete bypass of network security controls, creating a critical exposure in the device's defense-in-depth architecture.
The technical flaw manifests through the device's insufficient validation of hexadecimal encoded URLs, which should be properly decoded and analyzed before being processed by the filtering system. When an attacker crafts a URL with a hex encoded file extension, the firewall fails to properly decode and evaluate the request against its security policies. This represents a classic input sanitization vulnerability that falls under CWE-20, which addresses improper input validation. The device's processing logic appears to handle only standard ASCII representations of URLs while failing to account for alternative encodings that could be used to circumvent security controls. The vulnerability exploits a fundamental weakness in the device's protocol handling and validation routines.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates a severe risk for organizations relying on NETGEAR FVS318 firewalls for network protection. Remote attackers can bypass content filtering policies and potentially access restricted network resources without authentication or authorization. The hex encoding technique allows attackers to evade detection by traditional signature-based filtering systems, making the exploitation more difficult to identify and prevent. This vulnerability directly impacts the firewall's ability to enforce security policies and can lead to unauthorized data access, potential network infiltration, and complete compromise of the protected network segment. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access or local network presence to exploit the vulnerability.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on firmware updates from NETGEAR, which would address the improper input validation and ensure proper URL decoding before filtering decisions are made. Organizations should implement network segmentation and additional monitoring to detect unusual URL patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The solution aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol: DNS, where attackers may leverage encoded URLs to bypass network controls. Network administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls or proxy services that provide additional layers of URL validation and filtering. The vulnerability highlights the importance of comprehensive input validation across all network security devices and the need for regular firmware updates to address known security flaws.