CVE-2012-0237 in WebAccess
Summary
by MITRE
Advantech/BroadWin WebAccess before 7.0 allows remote attackers to (1) enable date and time syncing or (2) disable date and time syncing via a crafted URL.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/10/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-0237 affects Advantech/BroadWin WebAccess versions prior to 7.0, representing a significant security flaw in industrial automation and SCADA systems. This issue resides within the web-based management interface of the software, which is commonly deployed in critical infrastructure environments where time synchronization is essential for proper system operation and security logging. The vulnerability specifically targets the date and time synchronization functionality, which is fundamental to maintaining system integrity and audit trails in industrial control systems.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation and authorization checks within the WebAccess web interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by constructing malicious URLs that directly manipulate the system's time synchronization settings. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to both enable and disable date and time syncing capabilities through simple URL parameter manipulation, without requiring authentication or privileged access. This represents a classic case of insecure direct object reference vulnerability where the application fails to properly validate user inputs before processing time synchronization commands, making it susceptible to manipulation through crafted web requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple time management issues and can severely compromise industrial control system security. When date and time synchronization is disabled, it creates significant challenges for system logging, audit trails, and time-sensitive operations that depend on accurate timestamps. In industrial environments, this can lead to compliance violations under standards such as NIST SP 800-82 and IEC 62443, as proper time synchronization is required for security monitoring and incident response. The vulnerability also undermines the integrity of security events that rely on timestamped logs, making forensic analysis and threat detection significantly more difficult. Furthermore, the ability to enable or disable time synchronization remotely without proper authorization creates potential for both accidental system misconfiguration and deliberate sabotage attacks.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected systems to upgrade to WebAccess version 7.0 or later, which addresses this vulnerability through proper input validation and authorization controls. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to WebAccess interfaces to authorized personnel only, and establish robust monitoring for suspicious URL access patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-601 URL Redirection to Untrusted Site and CWE-284 Improper Access Control, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1562.001 for disabling security tools and T1070.006 for tampering with logs. Regular security assessments of industrial control systems should include verification of time synchronization mechanisms, and organizations should maintain up-to-date inventories of all WebAccess installations to ensure comprehensive remediation across their infrastructure.