CVE-2013-3539 in IP Camera
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the command/user.cgi in Sony SNC CH140, SNC CH180, SNC CH240, SNC CH280, SNC DH140, SNC DH140T, SNC DH180, SNC DH240, SNC DH240T, SNC DH280, and possibly other camera models allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that add users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2024
The CVE-2013-3539 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting multiple Sony SNC series network cameras including models CH140, CH180, CH240, CH280, DH140, DH140T, DH180, DH240, DH240T, and DH280. This vulnerability resides within the command/user.cgi component of these devices, which handles user management operations. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate administrative functions without legitimate authentication credentials, fundamentally undermining the security posture of these network surveillance devices.
This CSRF vulnerability operates by exploiting the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the affected camera firmware. When administrators interact with the camera's web interface, the system should verify that requests originate from legitimate authenticated sessions. However, the vulnerable implementations fail to implement robust session validation checks, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted web pages or links that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit administrative commands to the camera. The specific attack vector targets user addition functionality, enabling attackers to create new administrator accounts or modify existing user permissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the surveillance infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can establish persistent access points within network environments by creating new administrative accounts, potentially gaining complete control over the camera's configuration and video feeds. This compromise can lead to unauthorized surveillance access, data exfiltration, and the ability to manipulate camera settings including recording schedules, motion detection parameters, and network configurations. The vulnerability affects devices that are commonly deployed in enterprise environments, making the potential impact significantly broader than isolated consumer applications.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers the use of credential dumping and session hijacking methods to gain unauthorized access to systems. Organizations utilizing these cameras face elevated risk in environments where network cameras are deployed without proper network segmentation or where administrators frequently interact with camera interfaces from potentially compromised endpoints. The vulnerability demonstrates a critical design flaw in the authentication mechanism implementation, where session tokens are not properly validated or where the system fails to distinguish between legitimate and malicious requests.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from Sony, as the company would have issued patches addressing the CSRF token validation issues. Network administrators should implement strict network segmentation to limit direct access to camera management interfaces, ensuring that only authorized administrative workstations can reach these devices. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls to filter suspicious requests, establishing multi-factor authentication for camera management interfaces, and conducting regular security assessments of networked devices. Organizations should also consider disabling unnecessary web management interfaces and implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current firmware versions and implementing robust network security practices for all connected devices, particularly those handling sensitive surveillance data.