CVE-2011-1646 in WRVS4400N
Summary
by MITRE
The web management interface on the Cisco RVS4000 Gigabit Security Router with software 1.x before 1.3.3.4 and 2.x before 2.0.2.7, and the WRVS4400N Gigabit Security Router with software before 2.0.2.1, allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands via the (1) ping test parameter or (2) traceroute test parameter, aka Bug ID CSCtn23871.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/23/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2011-1646 represents a critical command injection flaw within the web management interface of Cisco RVS4000 and WRVS4400N Gigabit Security Routers. This issue affects specific software versions where authenticated remote attackers can exploit the interface to execute arbitrary commands on the affected devices. The vulnerability manifests through two distinct attack vectors involving the ping test parameter and traceroute test parameter, which are commonly used network diagnostic functions within router management interfaces. The flaw enables attackers to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized control over the router's operational functions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the web management interface of these router models. When users submit commands through the ping or traceroute test parameters, the system fails to properly validate or escape user-supplied input before processing it. This allows malicious input to be interpreted and executed as system commands rather than being treated as simple data. The vulnerability specifically affects routers running software versions 1.x before 1.3.3.4 and 2.x before 2.0.2.7 for RVS4000 models, and software versions before 2.0.2.1 for WRVS4400N models. This command injection flaw directly maps to CWE-77, which identifies improper neutralization of special elements used in commands, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with complete control over the affected routers, enabling them to modify network configurations, redirect traffic, or establish persistent backdoors. An authenticated attacker with access to the web management interface can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the web server process, typically running with administrative privileges on the device. This allows for potential network reconnaissance, lateral movement, and establishment of unauthorized network access points. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only authentication to the web interface, which is often accessible to users with legitimate administrative credentials, making it exploitable in scenarios where credentials might be compromised through social engineering, credential reuse, or other attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate software updates to the patched versions 1.3.3.4, 2.0.2.7, and 2.0.2.1 respectively for the affected router models, which address the input validation issues through proper sanitization of user-supplied parameters. Network administrators should also implement additional security measures such as restricting access to the web management interface to trusted IP addresses, disabling unnecessary services, and implementing strong authentication controls including multi-factor authentication. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the risks associated with implementing diagnostic functions without proper security controls. Organizations should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments of network infrastructure devices and maintain up-to-date security patches to prevent exploitation of similar command injection vulnerabilities that may exist in other network components.