CVE-2016-7809 in CG-WLR300NX
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Corega CG-WLR300NX firmware Ver. 1.20 and earlier allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of logged in user to conduct unintended operations via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2019
The CVE-2016-7809 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Corega CG-WLR300NX wireless router firmware versions 1.20 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the web-based administrative interface of the device, creating a significant security risk for users who rely on the router for network management. The flaw specifically targets the authentication mechanisms that govern user sessions, allowing malicious actors to exploit the absence of proper CSRF protection measures. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute unauthorized administrative commands on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, fundamentally compromising the device's security posture.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-forgery tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the router's web interface. When a user accesses the administrative panel, the system should validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the authenticated session. However, the affected firmware fails to implement these crucial security controls, leaving the interface susceptible to attacks where malicious actors can craft web pages or send specially crafted requests that automatically execute administrative functions. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple attack surfaces within the router's web interface could potentially be exploited, including various administrative functions that modify network settings, user accounts, or security configurations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to perform comprehensive administrative operations on the affected routers. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could modify network configurations, change administrator credentials, disable security features, or even redirect network traffic through malicious DNS settings. This level of access could result in complete network compromise, allowing attackers to establish persistent backdoors, monitor network traffic, or use the compromised router as a pivot point for attacking other devices within the local network. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to the device or knowledge of the local network topology to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise and home network environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-7809 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from Corega to address the CSRF implementation flaws in affected versions. Network administrators should also implement additional protective measures such as restricting administrative access to specific IP addresses, implementing network segmentation to isolate critical devices, and monitoring for unusual administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their network infrastructure to identify other devices running vulnerable firmware versions and ensure that all network devices receive timely security updates to prevent exploitation of similar CSRF vulnerabilities.