CVE-2015-4252 in TelePresence ISDN Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on Cisco TelePresence ISDN Gateway devices with software 2.2(1.106) allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users, aka Bug ID CSCuu90724.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2022
The CVE-2015-4252 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in Cisco TelePresence ISDN Gateway devices running software version 2.2(1.106). This vulnerability exposes the affected telepresence systems to unauthorized manipulation by remote attackers who can exploit the lack of proper authentication verification mechanisms. The flaw specifically impacts the device's web-based management interface, where the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar protective measures creates an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability operates by tricking authenticated users into executing unintended commands through crafted web requests that leverage the user's existing session credentials, effectively bypassing the normal authentication flow.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the device's failure to implement proper request validation mechanisms within its web interface. When a user accesses the management portal, the system should validate that incoming requests originate from legitimate sources and contain appropriate authentication tokens to prevent unauthorized operations. However, the Cisco TelePresence ISDN Gateway devices lack these essential validation controls, enabling attackers to construct malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users. This flaw falls under the CWE-352 category of Cross-Site Request Forgery, which specifically addresses vulnerabilities where applications fail to verify the authenticity of requests originating from users. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the management interface of telepresence devices that are often deployed in enterprise environments where security is paramount, making the potential impact significantly greater than in typical consumer devices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can enable attackers to completely compromise the affected telepresence gateway systems. Successful exploitation could allow threat actors to modify device configurations, access sensitive communication channels, or potentially disrupt critical video conferencing services within enterprise networks. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no privileged credentials from the attacker, as they can leverage existing authenticated sessions to perform administrative actions. This vulnerability is classified under the ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for Phishing with Spoofed Credentials, where attackers can manipulate legitimate user sessions to gain unauthorized system access. Organizations relying on Cisco TelePresence ISDN Gateway devices face significant risk of service disruption, data exposure, and potential network compromise when this vulnerability remains unpatched, as the affected systems may become entry points for broader network infiltration attempts.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2015-4252 primarily involves applying the official Cisco security patches and firmware updates released to address the specific CSRF implementation flaw. Organizations should immediately upgrade their Cisco TelePresence ISDN Gateway devices to software versions that include proper anti-CSRF token implementation and request validation mechanisms. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of these devices to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual management interface access patterns. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially affected Cisco devices within their network infrastructure and ensure proper patch management protocols are in place. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper authentication verification mechanisms in network management interfaces, particularly for devices that handle sensitive communication data in enterprise environments.