CVE-2015-3967 in UMG
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on Janitza UMG 508, 509, 511, 604, and 605 devices allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2018
The CVE-2015-3967 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Janitza UMG series power measurement devices including models 508, 509, 511, 604, and 605. This vulnerability resides within the web-based management interface of these industrial devices, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these measurement systems. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation in the device's web interface, allowing malicious actors to exploit the authentication mechanism without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic CSRF attack vector where an attacker can craft malicious requests that appear to originate from authenticated users. The affected devices typically expose web interfaces for configuration and monitoring purposes, and the absence of anti-CSRF tokens means that legitimate administrative actions can be executed without proper user consent. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in industrial environments where these devices are often deployed in critical infrastructure settings, as it can enable unauthorized modifications to device configurations, data collection parameters, or operational settings that could compromise system integrity and security.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations managing industrial control systems and power monitoring infrastructure. Attackers could potentially manipulate device settings, alter measurement parameters, or even disrupt operational workflows by executing unauthorized administrative commands. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to the devices or network proximity, making the attack surface significantly broader. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery as a weakness in web application security, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566 for initial access through credential harvesting and T1071 for application layer protocol usage.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate these devices from general network access, deployment of web application firewalls to detect and block malicious CSRF requests, and implementation of proper authentication controls. Device firmware updates from Janitza should be prioritized to address the underlying CSRF implementation issues. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous administrative activity patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and anti-CSRF token implementation in embedded web interfaces, particularly in industrial environments where device security is paramount for operational continuity and safety.