CVE-2016-1261 in J-Web
Summary
by MITRE
J-Web does not validate certain input that may lead to cross-site request forgery (CSRF) issues or cause a denial of J-Web service (DoS).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1261 affects J-Web, a web-based management interface commonly used in network security devices, particularly those manufactured by Juniper Networks. This weakness represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity and availability of the web management interface, potentially allowing attackers to exploit the system through cross-site request forgery attacks or by causing denial of service conditions that disrupt legitimate administrative access.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the J-Web interface implementation. Specifically, the system fails to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied data that is processed through web forms and API endpoints. This lack of proper validation creates opportunities for malicious actors to craft specially crafted requests that can be executed without the user's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability manifests when the web interface accepts input parameters that should be authenticated and verified before processing, allowing attackers to manipulate the intended behavior of the system through crafted HTTP requests.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations relying on J-Web for device management. The cross-site request forgery aspect enables attackers to perform unauthorized administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially leading to complete system compromise, configuration changes, or data exfiltration. The denial of service component means that attackers can disrupt normal administrative operations by sending malformed requests that cause the J-Web service to become unresponsive or crash entirely. This dual nature of the vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited for both persistence and disruption purposes.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues, and CWE-400, which covers unspecified denial of service conditions. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1213.002, which involves data from information repositories, as attackers can leverage the compromised interface to access sensitive configuration data or perform unauthorized operations on network devices. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation controls, CSRF token implementation, and access control restrictions to prevent unauthorized use of the J-Web interface. Regular security assessments and proper patch management are essential to address this vulnerability effectively and maintain the integrity of network infrastructure management systems.