CVE-2017-2238 in Home Gateway HEM-GW16A
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Toshiba Home gateway HEM-GW16A firmware HEM-GW16A-FW-V1.2.0 and earlier and Toshiba Home gateway HEM-GW26A firmware HEM-GW26A-FW-V1.2.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2019
The CVE-2017-2238 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Toshiba Home gateway devices including the HEM-GW16A and HEM-GW26A models. This vulnerability exists within the firmware versions up to and including V1.2.0, creating a significant security risk for users who rely on these home gateway devices for network connectivity and management. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit the authentication mechanism by crafting malicious requests that can be executed without the administrator's knowledge or consent, effectively enabling unauthorized access to administrative functions.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms within the web interface of these home gateways. When administrators interact with the device management interface, the authentication tokens or session identifiers that should be validated for each request are either missing or insufficiently implemented. This allows attackers to leverage the trust relationship between the device and authenticated users by tricking the browser into executing unauthorized commands on behalf of the administrator. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the attack could be delivered through various means including malicious websites, email attachments, or compromised network traffic.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential network compromise and complete administrative control over the affected devices. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability could gain access to sensitive network configuration settings, modify firewall rules, change network parameters, and potentially redirect traffic through malicious proxies. The implications are particularly severe for home users who may not have adequate network monitoring or intrusion detection capabilities. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that remains active as long as the affected firmware versions are in use, allowing attackers to maintain access even after initial exploitation.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this as a privilege escalation technique under the T1068 category, as it enables attackers to elevate their access level from regular user to administrative privileges. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper session management and request validation mechanisms in embedded web interfaces. Organizations and individuals should immediately update to firmware versions that address this issue, as the attack surface remains exploitable for all affected models. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect unauthorized configuration changes, while users should be educated about the risks of visiting untrusted websites while logged into administrative interfaces. The vulnerability underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of embedded systems and web interfaces, particularly those used in home networking equipment where users may not regularly update firmware or apply security patches.