CVE-2013-3068 in WRT310N
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in apply.cgi in Linksys WRT310Nv2 2.0.0.1 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change passwords and modify remote management ports.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2018
The CVE-2013-3068 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in the Linksys WRT310Nv2 router firmware version 2.0.0.1. This vulnerability specifically affects the apply.cgi web interface component, which serves as the primary administrative portal for configuring router settings. The flaw stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the affected web application, creating a significant security risk for network administrators who rely on this device for their network infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the apply.cgi script which processes administrative requests without validating the origin of incoming requests. When an administrator accesses the router's web interface, the system establishes a session that remains active until the session expires or the administrator logs out. However, the apply.cgi script fails to implement anti-CSRF tokens or referer header validation, allowing malicious actors to craft specially formatted requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions. This weakness enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions such as changing administrator passwords and modifying remote management ports without possessing valid credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of router administration. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain complete control over the affected router, potentially leading to man-in-the-middle attacks, network monitoring, or redirection of traffic through malicious proxies. The ability to change passwords effectively locks out legitimate administrators while the modification of remote management ports can completely sever legitimate access to the device, creating a situation where only the attacker maintains control over the network infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects small office and home environments where such routers are commonly deployed without additional security monitoring or network segmentation.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw also maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to maintain persistent access and potentially escalate privileges. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling remote management features when not actively needed, implementing network segmentation to isolate such devices, and ensuring firmware updates are applied promptly. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and session management in web applications, particularly in network infrastructure devices where unauthorized access can have far-reaching consequences for entire network ecosystems.