CVE-2015-2848 in Tuxedo Touch
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Honeywell Tuxedo Touch before 5.2.19.0_VA allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests associated with home-automation commands, as demonstrated by a door-unlock command.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2024
The CVE-2015-2848 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Honeywell Tuxedo Touch home automation systems prior to version 5.2.19.0_VA. This vulnerability exposes users to significant security risks by allowing remote attackers to manipulate authentication tokens and execute unauthorized commands on behalf of authenticated users. The flaw specifically affects the web-based interface of the Tuxedo Touch system, which serves as the primary control point for home automation functions including door locks, lighting, and security systems. The vulnerability operates by failing to properly validate the origin of requests, enabling attackers to craft malicious web pages or links that can trigger legitimate commands when victims visit compromised sites while authenticated to the home automation system.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient anti-forgery token validation within the web application layer of the Tuxedo Touch interface. When users authenticate to the system through their web browser, the authentication session remains active and is typically maintained through cookies or session tokens. However, the system does not adequately verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same domain, allowing attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the user's browser and the automation system. This weakness falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities where applications fail to validate the source of HTTP requests. The attack vector typically involves embedding malicious JavaScript or HTML forms in compromised websites that automatically submit requests to the target Tuxedo Touch system, leveraging the user's existing authentication state to execute unauthorized commands.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privacy concerns, as it enables attackers to gain complete control over home security systems with potentially catastrophic consequences. The demonstration of a door-unlock command illustrates the severe implications of such an exploit, as unauthorized individuals could remotely access homes, disable security systems, or manipulate other critical automation functions. This vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles of authentication and authorization, creating a scenario where attackers can bypass traditional security controls by simply tricking users into visiting malicious websites. The attack requires minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed by threat actors with basic web development knowledge. According to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to the technique T1566.001 which involves creating malicious web content to perform credential theft or unauthorized actions, and T1071.001 which covers application layer protocols including web protocols that can be exploited for privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-2848 require both immediate patching and operational security enhancements to protect home automation systems. Organizations and individuals using Honeywell Tuxedo Touch systems must immediately upgrade to version 5.2.19.0_VA or later, which implements proper CSRF token validation and request origin checking. Beyond patching, system administrators should implement additional security controls including network segmentation to isolate home automation systems from general internet access, enabling multi-factor authentication for administrative access, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious requests. Network-level protections such as implementing strict firewall rules that limit external access to the Tuxedo Touch interface and requiring secure VPN connections for remote administration can significantly reduce exposure. Additionally, user education regarding the dangers of visiting untrusted websites while authenticated to automation systems remains crucial, as social engineering attacks often leverage this vulnerability. The remediation process should also include reviewing and implementing proper session management practices, including short session timeouts and secure cookie attributes, to minimize the window of opportunity for attackers to exploit authenticated sessions. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual command patterns or unauthorized access attempts that may indicate exploitation attempts against the home automation system.