CVE-2016-4820 in ETX-R
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on I-O DATA DEVICE ETX-R devices allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2019
The CVE-2016-4820 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in I-O DATA DEVICE ETX-R network devices, specifically affecting the web-based administrative interface of these wireless routers and access points. This vulnerability resides in the authentication mechanisms of the device's web management portal, where the system fails to properly validate the origin of HTTP requests submitted through the web interface. The flaw enables remote attackers to craft malicious web pages or exploit existing network traffic that can trick authenticated users into performing unintended administrative actions without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens within the web interface forms and API endpoints used for administrative operations. When users navigate to the device management interface, the system does not adequately verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than crafted malicious payloads. This weakness allows attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the web browser and the device, leveraging the browser's automatic inclusion of cookies and authentication credentials when making requests to the device's management interface. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication handling mechanisms and session management components that govern administrative access to the device configuration and operational parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to perform arbitrary administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users. This includes but is not limited to changing network configuration settings, modifying user accounts, updating firmware, altering security policies, and potentially gaining persistent access to the network infrastructure. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not require physical access to the device or network presence in the local network segment to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise and home network environments where such devices are commonly deployed. The vulnerability essentially allows attackers to assume complete administrative control over the affected devices, potentially creating backdoors or establishing persistent network access points.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4820 should focus on implementing proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the web interface of affected devices, ensuring that all administrative operations require unique, time-bound tokens that are validated on the server-side before processing any requests. Network administrators should immediately update firmware to versions that address this vulnerability, as I-O DATA DEVICE has released patches to correct the authentication and session management flaws. Additionally, implementing network segmentation, disabling unnecessary administrative access, and deploying web application firewalls can provide additional protective layers. Organizations should also consider conducting regular security assessments of network infrastructure devices, particularly those with web-based management interfaces, to identify similar vulnerabilities in other network equipment. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and falls under ATT&CK technique T1078 for Valid Accounts and T1566 for Phishing, highlighting the broader threat landscape implications of such authentication bypass vulnerabilities.