CVE-2013-3083 in F5D8236-4
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in cgi-bin/system_setting.exe in Belkin F5D8236-4 v2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that open the remote management interface on arbitrary ports via the remote_mgmt_enabled and remote_mgmt_port parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2024
The CVE-2013-3083 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Belkin F5D8236-4 v2 wireless routers that exposes the device's remote management interface to unauthorized administrative access. This vulnerability resides within the cgi-bin/system_setting.exe component, which processes administrative configuration requests through the web-based management interface. The flaw specifically affects the remote management functionality that allows administrators to enable remote access to the device's administrative interface on arbitrary ports, creating a significant security risk when combined with CSRF exploitation techniques.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the affected web application interface. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or exploit existing user sessions to submit forged requests that modify the remote management settings without requiring authentication. The vulnerability specifically targets the remote_mgmt_enabled and remote_mgmt_port parameters, which when manipulated allow attackers to enable remote management access and specify arbitrary port numbers for administrative access. This design flaw violates fundamental web application security principles and creates a pathway for unauthorized remote administration access to network devices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to gain full administrative control over the affected router. Once exploited, attackers can configure the router to open remote management interfaces on non-standard ports, potentially bypassing network monitoring systems that focus on common administrative ports. The ability to specify arbitrary port numbers increases the attack surface and makes detection more challenging, as the remote management interface can be configured to operate on ports that are not typically monitored or restricted. This vulnerability essentially allows attackers to establish persistent backdoor access to the network infrastructure through the router's management interface, potentially enabling further network reconnaissance and lateral movement activities.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw also represents a significant concern from an ATT&CK framework perspective, particularly under the T1071.004 technique related to application layer protocol: DNS and T1566.001 technique for credential access through web application attacks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates from Belkin, network segmentation to isolate management interfaces, and the deployment of network monitoring tools that can detect unusual port configurations and management interface access patterns. Additionally, administrators should disable remote management features when not actively required and implement strong authentication mechanisms to reduce the overall attack surface of networked devices.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of CSRF protection in network device management interfaces, where the absence of proper session validation and anti-CSRF tokens creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate device configurations without legitimate authorization. This flaw highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of network infrastructure devices, particularly those with web-based management interfaces that can be remotely configured to expose additional attack vectors. Network security teams must consider implementing additional controls such as firewall rules that restrict access to management interfaces, regular security assessments of networked devices, and the establishment of secure remote access protocols that do not rely on potentially vulnerable web interfaces for administrative functions.