CVE-2015-5990 in F9K1102
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on Belkin F9K1102 2 devices with firmware 2.10.17 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/08/2024
The CVE-2015-5990 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Belkin F9K1102 wireless routers running firmware version 2.10.17. This vulnerability resides in the web-based administrative interface of the device, creating a significant security risk that allows remote attackers to manipulate authenticated sessions without proper authorization. The flaw stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the router's web administration panel, making it susceptible to malicious exploitation by attackers who can craft specially crafted requests that appear legitimate to the victim's browser.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTTP requests that are processed by the affected router's web server component. When a user authenticates to the router's administrative interface, the system should validate that each request originates from the legitimate user session rather than from an attacker's malicious website or application. However, the F9K1102 firmware fails to implement adequate anti-CSRF tokens or other session validation mechanisms, allowing attackers to construct requests that the router will process as if they came from an authenticated user. This weakness specifically impacts the router's administrative functions, including configuration changes, firmware updates, and user management operations that require authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass complete network compromise. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability can perform administrative actions such as changing router settings, modifying network configurations, updating firmware, or even disabling network services entirely. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to target any user who is authenticated to the router's web interface, potentially affecting network administrators or other authorized personnel. This creates a scenario where network security can be undermined without requiring any credentials, as the attacker merely needs to convince a victim to visit a malicious website that contains embedded CSRF attack vectors.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique under the 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' tactic, where adversaries leverage web application vulnerabilities to gain elevated access to network infrastructure. The vulnerability also aligns with the 'Initial Access' phase of the ATT&CK lifecycle, as it provides an entry point for attackers to gain persistent access to network devices. Organizations using affected Belkin devices face significant risk of unauthorized network access and potential data breaches, as the compromised router can serve as a gateway for further attacks within the network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-5990 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from Belkin to address the CSRF implementation flaw. Network administrators should also implement additional security controls such as disabling web-based administration interfaces and restricting access to administrative ports through firewall rules. The implementation of proper CSRF protection mechanisms including anti-CSRF tokens, referer header validation, and same-site cookies should be enforced on all web applications, particularly those managing network infrastructure. Organizations should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar flaws in other network devices and establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts.