CVE-2017-3965 in Network Security Management
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) (aka Session Riding) vulnerability in the web interface in McAfee Network Security Management (NSM) before 8.2.7.42.2 allows remote attackers to perform unauthorized tasks such as retrieving internal system information or manipulating the database via specially crafted URLs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/26/2023
The CVE-2017-3965 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in McAfee Network Security Management (NSM) web interface components. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw exists in NSM versions prior to 8.2.7.42.2 and demonstrates how insufficient anti-CSRF protection mechanisms can lead to severe security implications for network security management systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the web interface of NSM. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious URLs that, when executed, perform unauthorized operations on the target system. These crafted requests can originate from external domains or be delivered through social engineering techniques, leveraging the trust relationship between the web application and authenticated users. The vulnerability specifically allows for information disclosure and database manipulation operations, making it particularly dangerous for network security infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to extract internal system information that could reveal network topology, security configurations, and potentially sensitive operational data. Additionally, the ability to manipulate the database through CSRF attacks could result in data corruption, unauthorized configuration changes, or complete system compromise. This vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the network security management system, potentially allowing attackers to undermine the security posture of the entire network infrastructure.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as part of the ATT&CK framework's T1566 technique for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links. The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with the broader category of web application attacks that target authentication mechanisms and session management. Organizations using affected NSM versions should immediately implement the vendor-provided patches and updates to address this vulnerability. Additionally, network administrators should review their web application security configurations and implement proper CSRF protection measures including anti-CSRF tokens, origin validation, and referer header checks to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other applications.
The remediation process involves upgrading to McAfee NSM version 8.2.7.42.2 or later, which includes proper CSRF token implementation and validation mechanisms. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their network security infrastructure to identify similar weaknesses in other management interfaces. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust web application security controls to prevent unauthorized system access and data manipulation. Organizations should also establish monitoring procedures to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts targeting similar CSRF vulnerabilities in their network security infrastructure.