CVE-2016-1158 in CG-WLBARGMH
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on Corega CG-WLBARGMH and CG-WLBARGNL devices allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that perform administrative functions.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2019
The CVE-2016-1158 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Corega wireless access point models CG-WLBARGMH and CG-WLBARGNL. This vulnerability resides in the authentication mechanisms of these network devices, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these products for wireless network infrastructure. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection measures, allowing them to manipulate administrative functions through forged requests that appear to originate from authenticated administrators. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of network management operations, as it bypasses the normal authentication processes that should protect administrative functions from unauthorized access.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar protection mechanisms within the web-based administrative interfaces of these devices. When administrators interact with the device management interface, the system fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate authenticated sessions rather than from malicious third-party websites or crafted attack payloads. This weakness allows attackers to construct malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, perform administrative actions without the administrator's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, specifically targeting the web interface components that handle administrative configuration changes, user management, and system settings.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass complete compromise of the affected network infrastructure. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could potentially modify network configurations, change administrator credentials, disable security features, or even install malicious firmware updates. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access to the devices or network proximity to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with distributed network deployments. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and authentication integrity, as it allows attackers to perform administrative functions with the privileges of legitimate users, potentially leading to complete network takeover scenarios.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including firmware updates from Corega, network segmentation to isolate these devices, and enhanced monitoring of administrative activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and represents a significant risk under ATT&CK framework's TA0006 Privilege Escalation and TA0005 Defense Evasion tactics. Administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious administrative requests, and establish strict access controls for management interfaces. Regular security assessments and network monitoring should be conducted to identify any potential exploitation attempts, as this vulnerability could remain undetected for extended periods while attackers gradually establish persistent access to network infrastructure. The remediation process requires immediate attention as the vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that could lead to comprehensive network compromise and data breaches.