CVE-2013-5471 in Global Site Selector
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the web framework in Cisco Global Site Selector (GSS) allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users, aka Bug ID CSCuh42164.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2022
The CVE-2013-5471 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within Cisco Global Site Selector's web framework, exposing organizations to sophisticated authentication hijacking attacks. This vulnerability specifically affects Cisco's Global Site Selector solution, which is designed to provide intelligent DNS-based load balancing and failover capabilities for global network infrastructure. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated sessions by exploiting the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms in the web interface. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-352 indicates it falls within the well-established category of Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks, where malicious actors can trick authenticated users into executing unintended commands against a web application they are currently using.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the web framework's failure to validate the origin of HTTP requests originating from authenticated sessions. When a legitimate user accesses the GSS web interface, their session remains active and authenticated. However, the framework does not implement robust anti-CSRF tokens or referer validation checks that would normally prevent unauthorized requests from being processed. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in other applications to send forged requests to the GSS interface, potentially performing administrative actions without the user's knowledge or consent. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and session integrity, allowing unauthorized manipulation of the system's configuration and operational parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft or modification, as it provides attackers with persistent access to critical network infrastructure management capabilities. Organizations utilizing Cisco Global Site Selector could face complete compromise of their DNS load balancing and failover mechanisms, potentially leading to service disruption, traffic redirection, and unauthorized access to sensitive network configuration data. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no privileged access to the target system, relying solely on social engineering or exploitation of existing user sessions. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for Account Access Removal and T1078 for Valid Accounts, as attackers can leverage legitimate user sessions to perform administrative functions without needing to compromise credentials directly.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-5471 should prioritize immediate implementation of CSRF protection mechanisms within the affected web framework. Organizations must ensure that all authenticated web requests include unique, unpredictable tokens that are validated server-side before processing any administrative actions. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the GSS management interface to trusted networks only. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications. The implementation of proper session management practices, including secure cookie attributes and session timeout mechanisms, will further reduce the attack surface. Additionally, network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual patterns of administrative requests originating from unexpected sources, providing early warning capabilities for potential exploitation attempts.