CVE-2005-3802 in F5D7230-4
Summary
by MITRE
Belkin F5D7232-4 and F5D7230-4 wireless routers with firmware 4.03.03 and 4.05.03, when a legitimate administrator is logged into the web management interface, allow remote attackers to access the management inferface without authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/13/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-3802 affects Belkin wireless routers model F5D7232-4 and F5D7230-4 running specific firmware versions 4.03.03 and 4.05.03. This represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that fundamentally compromises the security posture of these network devices. The issue stems from improper session management within the web-based administration interface, creating a pathway for unauthorized remote access to administrative functions without valid credentials.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure in the router's authentication mechanism where legitimate administrators can be logged into the web management interface, yet the system continues to allow unauthenticated access to the same administrative functions. This vulnerability operates under the principle of insufficient session management, which is categorized as CWE-613. The flaw essentially creates a race condition or session handling error where the system fails to properly validate authentication status when certain administrative functions are accessed, allowing attackers to bypass the normal authentication flow entirely.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to gain full administrative control over affected routers, which represents a severe compromise of network security. The attacker can modify router configurations, change network settings, implement malicious rules, and potentially establish backdoors for persistent access. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1021.001 for remote services and T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, as it allows for remote command execution through the management interface. Network administrators lose control over their routing configurations and become vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks, DNS poisoning, and other network-level compromises.
The security implications extend beyond simple unauthorized access as this vulnerability can facilitate broader network infiltration. Attackers can leverage the compromised router as a pivot point to launch further attacks against internal network resources, potentially accessing sensitive data or systems that would otherwise be protected by network segmentation. The vulnerability affects both firmware versions 4.03.03 and 4.05.03, indicating this was likely a persistent flaw in the router's development rather than a temporary bug. Organizations using these specific router models face significant risk of unauthorized network access and potential data breaches, particularly in environments where network security is paramount. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper authentication handling and session management in network devices, as highlighted in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001 requirements for access control.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate firmware updates from Belkin to address the authentication bypass flaw, network segmentation to limit the impact of compromised devices, and implementation of additional security controls such as network access control lists and monitoring for unauthorized administrative access attempts. Regular security assessments of network infrastructure should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other network devices, as this type of authentication bypass flaw commonly affects embedded systems and network appliances. The vulnerability also underscores the need for robust security testing during the development lifecycle and proper implementation of authentication mechanisms to prevent such critical flaws from reaching production environments.