CVE-2016-2082 in vRealize Log Insight
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in VMware vRealize Log Insight 2.x and 3.x before 3.3.2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of unspecified victims via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2022
The CVE-2016-2082 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in VMware vRealize Log Insight versions 2.x and 3.x prior to 3.3.2. This vulnerability resides within the web-based administrative interface of the logging and monitoring platform that organizations use to aggregate, analyze, and visualize log data from various sources. The flaw specifically affects the authentication handling mechanisms that govern user sessions and access controls within the vRealize Log Insight environment.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the application's web interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages or email attachments that, when visited or opened by an authenticated user, automatically submit requests to the vRealize Log Insight server. The vulnerability allows unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate log data, modify system configurations, or gain elevated privileges within the logging platform.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on vRealize Log Insight for security monitoring and compliance reporting. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors means that attackers could leverage various delivery mechanisms including phishing campaigns, compromised websites, or social engineering tactics to exploit the vulnerability. Successful exploitation could result in complete compromise of the logging infrastructure, data integrity violations, and potential lateral movement within the network as attackers might use the compromised logging platform to hide their activities or gather additional intelligence.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. This classification indicates that the flaw represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security model regarding request validation and user session management. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1566 for social engineering delivery methods and T1078 for legitimate credentials use, potentially enabling adversaries to establish persistent access to critical logging infrastructure. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patch to version 3.3.2, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the vRealize Log Insight interface, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of their logging infrastructure to identify any potential exploitation attempts and establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized configuration changes or data modifications within the affected platform.