CVE-2012-5319 in DCS Cameras
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in setup/security.cgi in D-Link DCS-900, DCS-2000, and DCS-5300 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change the administrator password via the rootpass parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/05/2024
The CVE-2012-5319 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting multiple D-Link network camera models including the DCS-900, DCS-2000, and DCS-5300 series. This vulnerability resides within the setup/security.cgi web interface component of these devices, specifically targeting the administrative authentication mechanism. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms, allowing them to manipulate administrative sessions without legitimate authentication credentials. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates through the rootpass parameter, which directly controls administrator password changes, making it a direct path to unauthorized system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar session validation mechanisms within the affected D-Link web interfaces. When an administrator interacts with the security.cgi script, the system should verify that the request originates from a legitimate administrative session rather than being forged by an attacker. However, the implementation fails to validate the authenticity of the request source, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted web requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators. This fundamental flaw in the web application security architecture creates a persistent risk where attackers can leverage social engineering or other attack vectors to deliver malicious requests that modify critical system parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple password modification, as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of the affected network cameras. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they gain complete administrative control over the device, potentially enabling them to modify network configurations, access video streams, change user permissions, or even install malicious firmware. The implications are particularly severe in network security contexts where these cameras serve as surveillance endpoints, as the compromise of a single device can provide attackers with persistent access to monitored areas and potentially facilitate lateral movement within the network infrastructure. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and authentication integrity that security frameworks such as the CWE-352 standard explicitly addresses.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access through social engineering. Organizations using these devices face significant risk of unauthorized access to their security infrastructure, potentially compromising entire surveillance networks. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access or network proximity to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network cameras are deployed in public or unsecured locations. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability represents a classic case of insufficient session management and request validation, which are commonly addressed through proper implementation of CSRF tokens and comprehensive input validation mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-5319 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from D-Link, as the vendor likely released patches addressing the CSRF implementation flaws. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to these devices, deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests, and establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized configuration changes. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of all networked devices to identify similar CSRF vulnerabilities in other systems, as this flaw demonstrates a common pattern in embedded web interfaces where security controls are insufficiently implemented. The vulnerability underscores the importance of applying security best practices such as the principle of defense in depth and regular security assessments to prevent similar issues in other networked devices.