CVE-2015-7278 in Wireless R10000
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on Amped Wireless R10000 devices with firmware 2.5.2.11 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2024
The CVE-2015-7278 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Amped Wireless R10000 devices running firmware version 2.5.2.11. This vulnerability resides within the web-based administrative interface of the network device, creating a significant security risk that can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication credentials. The flaw stems from the device's failure to implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms, specifically the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in critical administrative operations. According to CWE-352, this vulnerability directly maps to Cross-Site Request Forgery, where an attacker can manipulate a victim's browser into executing unauthorized actions on a web application where the victim is authenticated. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform administrative functions such as changing network configurations, modifying user accounts, or altering security settings without knowledge of the legitimate user's credentials.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious web page or email attachment that, when viewed or clicked by an authenticated user, automatically submits requests to the vulnerable Amped Wireless device. The device's web interface does not validate the origin of requests or verify the presence of anti-CSRF tokens, making it possible for attackers to leverage the trust relationship between the user's browser and the device. This flaw operates under the principle that authenticated sessions are sufficient to validate requests, without additional verification mechanisms. The vulnerability affects the device's authentication system by allowing unauthorized modification of administrative settings through forged requests, potentially enabling complete device compromise. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no prior authentication and can be executed against any user who has an active session with the device's web interface.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-7278 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, potentially allowing attackers to gain full administrative control of the network infrastructure. Once compromised, the device could serve as a pivot point for further attacks within the network, enabling man-in-the-middle attacks, DNS hijacking, or the redirection of network traffic. The vulnerability affects network availability and integrity, as attackers could disable security features or reconfigure the device to redirect traffic to malicious servers. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as it exploits legitimate user sessions and can be delivered through social engineering campaigns. The device's configuration changes could also impact network security policies, potentially allowing attackers to create backdoors or disable security monitoring capabilities. Network administrators may face challenges in detecting unauthorized configuration changes since the attacks appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-7278 should focus on immediate firmware updates from Amped Wireless, as the vendor likely released patches addressing the CSRF token implementation. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit the impact if exploitation occurs, while implementing network monitoring to detect unusual configuration changes. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and anti-CSRF token implementation in web applications, aligning with security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 frameworks. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests targeting the device's administrative interface. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include checks for similar CSRF vulnerabilities in network infrastructure devices, as this flaw demonstrates the critical need for proper session management and request validation in embedded web interfaces. The incident underscores the necessity of robust security testing during development and the importance of maintaining up-to-date firmware to protect against known vulnerabilities in network equipment.