CVE-2013-4671 in Web Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the management console on the Symantec Web Gateway (SWG) appliance before 5.1.1 allows remote authenticated users to hijack the authentication of unspecified victims via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2021
The Symantec Web Gateway appliance represents a critical component in enterprise network security infrastructure, providing web filtering and content control services. This appliance serves as a central point for managing network traffic and enforcing security policies across organizations. The management console interface, which allows administrators to configure and monitor the appliance's functionality, becomes a prime target for attackers seeking unauthorized access to privileged systems. The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-4671 specifically affects versions prior to 5.1.1 of the Symantec Web Gateway software, indicating a long-standing flaw that could have been exploited by threat actors for extended periods.
The core technical flaw manifests as a cross-site request forgery vulnerability within the management console's authentication mechanisms. CSRF attacks exploit the trust relationship between a web application and its users by tricking authenticated users into executing unintended actions. In this case, the vulnerability allows remote authenticated users to manipulate the appliance's management interface without proper authorization. The unspecified victim vectors suggest that attackers could potentially target any authenticated user session within the appliance's management environment, making this particularly dangerous in multi-user administrative environments where multiple administrators might access the console simultaneously.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to hijack active administrative sessions and potentially modify critical security policies. This could result in complete compromise of the web gateway's protective capabilities, allowing malicious actors to bypass content filtering, modify access controls, or redirect traffic to malicious destinations. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access or network proximity to exploit the vulnerability, making it particularly concerning for organizations with distributed management environments. The implications for enterprise security are severe, as the web gateway appliance often controls access to sensitive network resources and enforces critical security policies that protect against various cyber threats.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches for Symantec Web Gateway version 5.1.1 or later, which address the CSRF vulnerability through proper session management and request validation mechanisms. Network segmentation strategies should be employed to limit access to the management console to trusted administrative networks only, while implementing strong authentication controls including multi-factor authentication for administrative access. Monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual administrative activities or access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities in web applications. The attack pattern corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1566.002, which covers credential harvesting through web application attacks, and T1071.004, which involves application layer protocol usage for command and control communications. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to provide additional protection against similar CSRF vectors and establish incident response procedures for detecting and responding to potential exploitation attempts.