CVE-2014-4162 in P-660HW
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the Zyxel P-660HW-T1 (v3) wireless router allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change the (1) wifi password or (2) SSID via a request to Forms/WLAN_General_1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2024
The CVE-2014-4162 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in Zyxel P-660HW-T1 wireless routers running firmware version 3. This vulnerability exposes administrators to remote exploitation where attackers can hijack administrative sessions without proper authentication. The flaw specifically affects the router's web-based management interface, which is commonly used by network administrators to configure wireless settings and other critical parameters.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs through the Forms/WLAN_General_1 endpoint which handles wireless configuration changes including WiFi password modifications and SSID updates. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or exploit existing web content to submit forged requests to the router's administration interface without the victim's knowledge or consent. This occurs because the router fails to implement proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms, allowing attackers to leverage legitimate administrative sessions for unauthorized configuration changes. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the router's authentication bypass mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to completely compromise wireless network security. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can change the WiFi password, effectively locking out legitimate users while gaining unauthorized access to the network. Additionally, modifying the SSID can be used for malicious purposes including creating fake networks to capture credentials or performing man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability affects both home and enterprise users who rely on Zyxel routers for network connectivity, potentially leading to complete network takeover and data exfiltration. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-352 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues in web applications and network devices.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate firmware updates from Zyxel to address the CSRF implementation flaw. Network administrators should also implement additional security controls such as disabling remote administration interfaces when possible, implementing network segmentation, and using strong authentication mechanisms. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers often use social engineering to deliver malicious content that exploits such vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative activity patterns. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning of network infrastructure are essential to identify similar implementation flaws in other network devices that may be equally susceptible to CSRF attacks.