CVE-2016-2285 in MiiNePort
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on Moxa MiiNePort_E1_4641 devices with firmware 1.1.10 Build 09120714, MiiNePort_E1_7080 devices with firmware 1.1.10 Build 09120714, MiiNePort_E2_1242 devices with firmware 1.1 Build 10080614, MiiNePort_E2_4561 devices with firmware 1.1 Build 10080614, and MiiNePort E3 devices with firmware 1.0 Build 11071409 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2018
The CVE-2016-2285 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting several Moxa MiiNePort series industrial network devices. This vulnerability resides within the web-based management interfaces of these devices, specifically targeting the authentication mechanisms that govern administrative access. The affected models include MiiNePort_E1_4641, MiiNePort_E1_7080, MiiNePort_E2_1242, MiiNePort_E2_4561, and MiiNePort E3 devices, all operating under specific firmware versions that contain this security weakness. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the device's web interface, allowing attackers to forge requests that appear to originate from authenticated users. This flaw directly violates the principle of authentication integrity and enables unauthorized manipulation of device configurations through malicious web requests. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to industrial control systems as it allows remote attackers to hijack administrative sessions without requiring valid credentials. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform arbitrary administrative actions such as changing network configurations, modifying user accounts, updating firmware, or altering security settings. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it compromises the integrity and availability of industrial network infrastructure. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Engineering) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) as attackers may leverage this weakness to establish persistent access to industrial networks. The attack vector is particularly concerning given that these devices are commonly deployed in critical infrastructure environments where unauthorized access could lead to significant operational disruptions. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be executed remotely, making it an attractive target for both nation-state actors and cybercriminals targeting industrial control systems. Network segmentation and proper firewall rules can provide some mitigation, but the fundamental issue lies within the device's authentication implementation. The affected firmware versions suggest that this was likely a known issue that persisted across multiple device generations, indicating a systemic problem in the software development lifecycle of these industrial networking solutions. Organizations using these devices should implement immediate mitigations including network isolation, disabling unnecessary web interfaces, and applying available firmware updates when released by Moxa. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper authentication mechanisms in industrial devices and highlights the need for robust security practices in embedded systems that control critical infrastructure components. This weakness essentially allows attackers to impersonate legitimate users within the device management interface, potentially leading to complete compromise of the industrial network segment controlled by these devices. The long-term implications include potential data exfiltration, service disruption, and the possibility of cascading failures in connected industrial systems that depend on these network devices for connectivity and communication.