CVE-2016-1607 in Filr
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the administrative interface in Novell Filr before 2.0 Security Update 2 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators, as demonstrated by reconfiguring time settings via a vaconfig/time request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2024
The CVE-2016-1607 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Novell Filr's administrative interface prior to version 2.0 Security Update 2. This vulnerability operates under the well-established CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions where attackers can manipulate authenticated users into executing unintended actions. The flaw exists within the administrative portion of the Filr platform, making it particularly dangerous as it targets privileged users with elevated system access rights.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms in the administrative API endpoints. When administrators access the vaconfig/time request endpoint to modify system time settings, the application fails to validate the origin of the request or verify that it originates from a legitimate administrative session. This allows remote attackers to craft malicious web pages or exploit existing user sessions to perform administrative actions without proper authorization. The vulnerability specifically targets the administrative interface, which means that successful exploitation would grant attackers the same privileges as the compromised administrator account.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to hijack administrative sessions and execute privileged commands within the Novell Filr environment. The demonstrated attack vector involving time reconfiguration represents just one of many potential malicious actions that could be performed once an attacker gains administrative access through CSRF. This includes but is not limited to modifying system configurations, accessing sensitive data, creating new user accounts, or altering security policies. The attack requires minimal privileges from the attacker as the target is already authenticated as an administrator, making the exploitation process more straightforward than typical privilege escalation attacks.
The vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1548.002 for abuse of cloud services and T1078 for valid accounts, as it leverages existing administrative credentials without requiring additional authentication. Organizations using Novell Filr before the security update 2 are particularly at risk since the vulnerability exists in the core administrative functionality of the platform. The attack surface is broad as it affects any administrative user who accesses the vulnerable interface, and the attack can be executed through social engineering or by exploiting existing user sessions. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where administrative access is frequently used and users may be targeted through phishing campaigns.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper CSRF protection mechanisms including the use of anti-CSRF tokens that are generated per session and validated on each administrative request. Organizations should immediately apply the available security update 2 for Novell Filr to address this vulnerability. Additional defensive measures include implementing proper session management, using secure headers, and ensuring that administrative interfaces are properly isolated from untrusted network segments. Network segmentation and monitoring for suspicious administrative activity can also help detect exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of CSRF protection in administrative interfaces and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of privileged application components.