CVE-2016-1000214 in less
Summary
by MITRE
Ruckus Wireless H500 web management interface authentication bypass
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/18/2019
The CVE-2016-1000214 vulnerability represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in the Ruckus Wireless H500 web management interface, which fundamentally undermines the security posture of wireless network infrastructure. This vulnerability affects the H500 series access points manufactured by Ruckus Wireless, a subsidiary of CommScope, and exposes devices to unauthorized administrative access without proper credentials. The flaw resides in the web management interface implementation where the authentication mechanism fails to properly validate user credentials, allowing attackers to bypass the login process entirely. This vulnerability impacts enterprise and enterprise-grade wireless networks that rely on Ruckus H500 devices for network management and configuration, potentially compromising the entire wireless infrastructure.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and authentication flow implementation within the web management interface of the H500 device. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting specific HTTP requests that manipulate the authentication state, effectively allowing them to gain administrative access to the device without providing valid credentials. The vulnerability manifests when the web interface fails to properly enforce session management controls and authentication checks, creating a condition where any user can access the administrative console. This type of flaw typically aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and can be classified under the broader category of weak authentication mechanisms that enable unauthorized access to privileged functions. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation of authentication tokens and session identifiers, allowing attackers to manipulate the authentication flow through crafted requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing Ruckus H500 devices in their wireless infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability gains full administrative control over the affected access point, enabling them to modify network configurations, implement malicious changes to wireless settings, and potentially establish backdoors for persistent access. The compromised device can serve as a foothold for lateral movement within the network, allowing attackers to pivot to other network segments and escalate privileges further. Additionally, the attacker can modify wireless security settings, disable network monitoring, and potentially redirect network traffic through malicious configurations. This vulnerability can lead to complete network compromise, data exfiltration, and disruption of critical wireless services that organizations depend upon for business operations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies to protect their wireless infrastructure. The primary recommendation involves applying the official security patches released by Ruckus Wireless to address the authentication bypass flaw. Network administrators should also implement network segmentation to isolate wireless access points from critical internal systems, limiting the potential impact of a successful exploitation. Additional mitigations include enabling network monitoring to detect anomalous access patterns, implementing strong access controls for physical device access, and establishing regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other network equipment. Security teams should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious authentication attempts and network traffic patterns associated with exploitation attempts. Organizations should follow ATT&CK framework techniques related to credential access and privilege escalation to properly assess their security posture and implement appropriate defensive measures against this type of vulnerability.