CVE-2012-4608 in RSA NetWitness Informer
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the web interface in EMC RSA NetWitness Informer before 2.0.5.6 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2018
The CVE-2012-4608 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in EMC RSA NetWitness Informer versions prior to 2.0.5.6. This vulnerability exists within the web interface component of the security information and event management solution, which is designed to monitor and analyze network traffic for security threats. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated sessions by tricking users into executing unintended actions through malicious web pages or links. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication mechanisms that govern user access to the web-based administrative interface, creating a pathway for unauthorized privilege escalation and session hijacking.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms within the web application's request processing flow. When legitimate users authenticate to the EMC RSA NetWitness Informer web interface, their sessions become vulnerable to exploitation because the application fails to verify the authenticity of requests originating from external domains. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable application, leveraging the user's existing authenticated session to perform actions without their knowledge or consent. This weakness aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities in web applications. The flaw essentially allows attackers to perform administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-4608 is severe and multifaceted, particularly within enterprise security environments where the RSA NetWitness Informer serves as a critical monitoring tool. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to sensitive network data, modify security policies, disable monitoring capabilities, or even escalate privileges to administrative levels. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the security monitoring infrastructure, potentially allowing attackers to remain undetected while conducting malicious activities. Organizations relying on this platform for security operations could experience significant data breaches, compliance violations, and loss of security posture. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with remote workers or public-facing interfaces. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering and T1078 for valid accounts, as it leverages legitimate user sessions to maintain persistence and access.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the vendor-provided patch version 2.0.5.6 or later to remediate the CSRF implementation flaw. The patch addresses the missing anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms and ensures proper session management within the web interface. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive network assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and monitor for unusual administrative activities. Additional mitigations include implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious cross-site requests, enforcing strict content security policies, and conducting regular security audits of web applications. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access and establishing robust monitoring procedures for user session activities. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing proper input validation and session management controls as outlined in industry best practices for web application security.