CVE-2007-4387 in 1701hg Router
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in /xslt in 2wire 1701HG and 2071 Gateway routers, with 3.17.5 and 5.29.51 software, allows remote attackers to perform certain configuration changes as administrators.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/31/2017
The CVE-2007-4387 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in 2wire gateway routers, specifically affecting models 1701HG and 2071 with firmware versions 3.17.5 and 5.29.51 respectively. This vulnerability resides within the xslt component of the router's web interface, creating a significant security risk that enables remote attackers to execute unauthorized administrative actions. The flaw fundamentally stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms in the affected router's web application, allowing malicious actors to trick authenticated users into performing unintended configuration changes without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the inherent trust relationship between the router's web interface and client browsers. When users access the router's administrative interface, the system does not adequately validate the origin of requests or implement anti-CSRF tokens that would ensure requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, can modify router configurations including network settings, firewall rules, and user access controls. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the xslt processing functionality that handles web interface rendering and configuration management.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it provides attackers with persistent administrative access to critical network infrastructure. Once exploited, attackers can gain complete control over the affected gateway routers, potentially enabling them to redirect network traffic, disable security features, modify DNS settings, or establish backdoors for continued access. This represents a severe compromise of network security boundaries since the affected devices serve as primary gateways between internal networks and external internet connections. The vulnerability affects both home and small office environments where these routers are commonly deployed, creating widespread potential for abuse across numerous network infrastructures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-4387 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from 2wire, as the vendor likely released patches addressing the missing anti-CSRF controls. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit exposure of these devices to untrusted networks, deploy network monitoring solutions to detect unusual configuration changes, and consider disabling unnecessary web administration interfaces. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery as a well-known weakness in web application security, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict access controls, using secure network protocols, and conducting regular security assessments of network infrastructure to identify similar vulnerabilities in other devices and systems.