CVE-2016-9344 in MiiNePort
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Moxa MiiNePort E1 versions prior to 1.8, E2 versions prior to 1.4, and E3 versions prior to 1.1. An attacker may be able to brute force an active session cookie to be able to download configuration files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-9344 affects Moxa MiiNePort series devices including E1 models before version 1.8, E2 models before version 1.4, and E3 models before version 1.1. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the authentication mechanisms of these industrial network management devices that are commonly deployed in manufacturing and industrial control environments. The affected devices are designed to provide network connectivity and management capabilities for industrial equipment, making them attractive targets for adversaries seeking to compromise industrial control systems. The vulnerability stems from insufficient session management and weak cryptographic practices in the generation and validation of session tokens.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a predictable session cookie generation mechanism that allows attackers to perform brute force attacks against active sessions. When users authenticate to the Moxa MiiNePort device, the system generates a session identifier that should be sufficiently random and unpredictable to prevent unauthorized access attempts. However, the flawed implementation produces session cookies with insufficient entropy or predictable patterns that can be systematically guessed or computed through brute force techniques. This weakness directly relates to CWE-330 Use of Insufficiently Random Values, which occurs when cryptographic functions or random number generators produce outputs that are easily predictable or guessable.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to potentially critical industrial infrastructure. An attacker who successfully brute forces a session cookie can download configuration files from the affected devices, which may contain sensitive information including network settings, device credentials, access control configurations, and other operational parameters. This capability provides adversaries with valuable intelligence for further attacks and potentially allows them to manipulate the industrial network configuration. The vulnerability particularly threatens environments where these devices are used in critical infrastructure sectors such as power generation, water treatment, and manufacturing facilities where unauthorized access could lead to operational disruptions or safety hazards.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the broader ATT&CK framework, specifically under the techniques related to credential access and privilege escalation. The brute force session cookie attack represents a method of credential harvesting that could be combined with other attack vectors to achieve persistent access to industrial networks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates to the latest available versions that address the session management flaws, network segmentation to limit access to these devices, and monitoring for suspicious authentication attempts. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms and regular security assessments of industrial control systems will help reduce the attack surface and improve overall security posture. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper session management in industrial network devices and underscores the need for robust cryptographic implementations in all security-critical components of industrial control systems.