CVE-2016-4504 in WEB'log
Summary
by MITRE
A Cross-Site Request Forgery issue was discovered in Meteocontrol WEB'log Basic 100 all versions, Light all versions, Pro all versions, and Pro Unlimited all versions. There is no CSRF Token generated per page or per function.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/10/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4504 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Meteocontrol WEB'log software across multiple product variants including Basic, Light, Pro, and Pro Unlimited versions. This issue stems from the complete absence of CSRF tokens within the application's web interface, creating a fundamental security gap that allows malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability affects all versions of these specific software releases, indicating a widespread security weakness that has persisted across multiple iterations of the product.
The technical flaw manifests as the complete omission of anti-CSRF mechanisms within the application's request processing pipeline. In properly secured web applications, CSRF tokens serve as unique, unpredictable values that are generated for each user session or specific function invocation and must be validated by the server before processing any state-changing requests. Without these tokens, the application cannot distinguish between legitimate requests initiated by authenticated users and malicious requests crafted by attackers who exploit the trust relationship between the user's browser and the vulnerable application. This absence directly violates standard web security practices and creates a pathway for attackers to manipulate the application's functionality through crafted requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification, as it enables attackers to perform arbitrary actions within the application's administrative interface. An attacker could potentially modify system configurations, delete data, create new user accounts, or execute other privileged operations that would normally require legitimate authentication. The lack of CSRF protection means that any authenticated user session can be exploited through social engineering techniques such as phishing emails or compromised websites that embed malicious requests. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the application layer and can be exploited without requiring additional authentication credentials beyond what is already available through the victim's browser session.
Organizations using affected Meteocontrol WEB'log versions face significant risk of unauthorized system manipulation and potential data compromise. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. This weakness is further categorized under ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers the exploitation of vulnerabilities to gain initial access or escalate privileges. The absence of CSRF protection in this context represents a critical failure in the application's security architecture, as it eliminates the primary defense mechanism against automated CSRF attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning given that it affects multiple versions of the software, suggesting that the security flaw was not properly addressed during product development or security testing phases.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves implementing robust CSRF token mechanisms throughout the application's interface, ensuring that each state-changing request requires validation of a unique token generated per session or per function. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as SameSite cookie attributes, origin validation headers, and comprehensive input validation. The vendor should release a security patch that introduces proper CSRF protection mechanisms, including token generation, validation, and session management. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, and security awareness training should be provided to ensure that developers follow secure coding practices that prevent such fundamental security flaws from occurring in future releases.