CVE-2012-6571 in S3700
Summary
by MITRE
The HTTP module in the (1) Branch Intelligent Management System (BIMS) and (2) web management components on Huawei AR routers and S2000, S3000, S3500, S3900, S5100, S5600, and S7800 switches uses predictable Session ID values, which makes it easier for remote attackers to hijack sessions via a brute-force attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/13/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-6571 affects Huawei's Branch Intelligent Management System and web management components deployed on various router and switch models including AR series routers and S2000, S3000, S3500, S3900, S5100, S5600, and S7800 switches. This weakness resides within the HTTP module's session management implementation, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these networking devices for their infrastructure. The flaw specifically impacts the session identification mechanism used by the web management interfaces, which is critical for maintaining secure administrative access to network equipment.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from the use of predictable session ID values within the HTTP module. When a user authenticates to the web management interface of these Huawei devices, the system generates session identifiers that follow predictable patterns rather than employing cryptographically secure random number generation. This predictability allows malicious actors to enumerate valid session IDs through brute-force attacks, effectively enabling session hijacking without requiring valid credentials. The vulnerability manifests as a weakness in the session management protocol where the random number generator fails to provide sufficient entropy, making it possible for attackers to guess active session tokens and gain unauthorized administrative access to the network devices.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to network infrastructure security, particularly in environments where these devices are exposed to untrusted networks or where administrative access is not adequately protected. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized administrative actions including configuration changes, firmware updates, network monitoring, and potentially gaining access to sensitive network information. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access as successful exploitation could lead to complete network compromise, especially when combined with other vulnerabilities or when the affected devices are part of critical network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects multiple generations of Huawei network equipment, amplifying the potential impact across various network deployments and increasing the attack surface for threat actors.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting network access to management interfaces through firewall rules, implementing network segmentation, and requiring secure remote access solutions such as VPNs with strong authentication mechanisms. The use of network access control lists to limit administrative access to trusted IP addresses and implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Additionally, organizations should consider disabling web management interfaces when not actively required and implementing network monitoring to detect unusual access patterns or potential brute-force attempts against the management interfaces. Regular firmware updates and patches from Huawei should be applied promptly to address this vulnerability and other related security issues. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-330, which addresses insufficient entropy in random number generation, and represents a significant concern under the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and credential access techniques where attackers can leverage predictable session identifiers to gain unauthorized access to network infrastructure.