CVE-2016-2274 in A850 Telemetry Gateway Base Station
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Adcon Telemetry A850 Telemetry Gateway Base Station. The Web Interface does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in the output; this could allow for cross-site scripting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2274 resides within the Adcon Telemetry A850 Telemetry Gateway Base Station, specifically affecting its web interface component. This device serves as a critical communication hub for telemetry data collection and transmission in industrial and commercial environments, making its security paramount to overall system integrity. The flaw manifests in the web interface's insufficient sanitization of user-controllable input parameters, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject harmful scripts into the application's output streams.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaws in software applications. The root cause stems from the application's failure to properly validate and sanitize input data before rendering it within the web interface's response. When users interact with the telemetry gateway's web interface, any input fields or parameters that are not adequately filtered can be exploited to inject malicious JavaScript code. This occurs because the web application fails to implement proper output encoding or sanitization mechanisms that would prevent user-supplied data from being interpreted as executable code within the browser context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with a potential foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the network environment. An attacker could leverage this XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even execute arbitrary commands on the affected system. In the context of industrial telemetry systems, this could compromise critical infrastructure monitoring capabilities and potentially lead to unauthorized access to sensitive operational data. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects a base station that likely serves as a central point of communication for telemetry data, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to disrupt or compromise industrial control systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should encompass multiple layers of defense to address both immediate remediation needs and long-term security posture improvements. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the web application's codebase, ensuring that all user-controllable data is sanitized before being rendered in any output context. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script injection attempts, while regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of adhering to security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, particularly focusing on secure coding practices and input validation controls. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under the 'Command and Scripting Interpreter' and 'Input Validation' techniques, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures that address both the immediate exploitation vector and broader security architecture considerations.