CVE-2016-4066 in FortiWeb
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Fortinet FortiWeb before 5.5.3 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change the password via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2022
The CVE-2016-4066 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in Fortinet FortiWeb appliances prior to version 5.5.3. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative authentication mechanisms of the FortiWeb web application firewall, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this protection platform. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the system's trust relationship with authenticated administrators, potentially allowing unauthorized modification of administrative credentials without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the administrative password change functionality. When administrators perform password modification operations through the FortiWeb management interface, the system fails to adequately verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions. This oversight creates a pathway for attackers to craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that can execute administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the vulnerability may be exploitable through multiple attack surfaces including email links, malicious websites, or compromised third-party applications that can interact with the FortiWeb management interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it directly compromises the integrity of administrative controls within the FortiWeb appliance. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to critical administrative functions, potentially leading to complete system compromise, unauthorized configuration changes, or the ability to bypass security policies that the appliance is designed to enforce. This risk is particularly severe given that FortiWeb serves as a web application firewall and security gateway, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to establish persistent access to protected networks. The vulnerability essentially undermines the fundamental security model of the appliance by allowing remote attackers to perform administrative actions without proper authentication.
Organizations utilizing FortiWeb appliances before version 5.5.3 should prioritize immediate remediation through official firmware updates provided by Fortinet. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should be implemented in all authentication mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, potentially enabling adversaries to establish persistence and maintain access to critical infrastructure. Additional mitigations should include network segmentation of administrative interfaces, implementation of additional authentication layers, and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other network security components. The incident underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security appliances and demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws in authentication systems can create significant security risks for enterprise environments.