CVE-2008-6823 in WL54AP2
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the management interface on the A-LINK WL54AP3 and WL54AP2 access points before firmware 1.4.2-eng1 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) modify the network configuration via certain parameters to goform/formWanTcpipSetup or (2) modify credentials via certain parameters to goform/formPasswordSetup.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2024
The CVE-2008-6823 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery issue affecting A-LINK WL54AP3 and WL54AP2 wireless access points running firmware versions prior to 1.4.2-eng1. This vulnerability resides within the management interface of these network devices, creating a significant security risk that allows remote attackers to perform administrative actions without proper authentication. The flaw specifically targets the web-based management console that administrators use to configure network settings and manage device credentials, making it particularly dangerous as it directly impacts network security infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the affected access point management interface. When administrators access the web-based configuration pages, the system fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than maliciously crafted requests. The vulnerable endpoints include goform/formWanTcpipSetup for network configuration modifications and goform/formPasswordSetup for credential changes, both of which accept parameters that can alter critical device settings. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious web pages or sending specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, perform unauthorized actions on the device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to completely compromise the affected access points without requiring any authentication credentials. An attacker could remotely modify network configuration parameters such as WAN IP settings, gateway addresses, or DNS configurations, potentially disrupting network connectivity or redirecting traffic to malicious destinations. Additionally, credential modification capabilities allow attackers to change administrator passwords, effectively locking out legitimate users and gaining persistent control over the network device. This vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the CWE-352 framework, which categorizes CSRF as a critical weakness in web application security where the application fails to verify the origin of requests.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for phishing attacks. Attackers typically leverage social engineering to convince administrators to visit malicious websites while logged into the access point management interface, or they may use the vulnerability in conjunction with other attacks to establish persistent access. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that these are network infrastructure devices that often operate in environments with minimal network segmentation, allowing attackers to potentially move laterally within compromised networks. Organizations using these devices face significant risk of network disruption, unauthorized access, and potential data exfiltration through compromised network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-6823 primarily involve updating firmware to version 1.4.2-eng1 or later, which addresses the CSRF vulnerabilities through proper request validation mechanisms. Network administrators should also implement additional security controls such as restricting access to management interfaces to trusted IP addresses only, implementing network segmentation to isolate management traffic, and regularly auditing device configurations. The implementation of anti-CSRF tokens in web applications represents the standard defensive measure against such vulnerabilities, ensuring that each request includes a unique token that can be validated by the server to confirm legitimate session origin. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments of network infrastructure devices to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other network equipment.