CVE-2017-8138 in HedEx
Summary
by MITRE
HedEx Earlier than V200R006C00 versions has a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability. An attacker could trick a user into accessing a website containing malicious scripts which may tamper with configurations and interrupt normal services.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2023
The HedEx system version 200R006C00 and earlier contains a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that poses significant operational risks to network infrastructure. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the web-based administrative interfaces. The flaw allows malicious actors to craft deceptive web pages that can execute unauthorized administrative commands when victims access these pages while authenticated to the HedEx system. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues in web applications. According to the ATT&CK framework, this represents a privilege escalation technique under the T1548.001 sub-technique for Abuse of Functionality, where attackers exploit legitimate system functionality to perform unauthorized actions. The vulnerability exists due to the absence of proper origin validation mechanisms and the failure to implement anti-CSRF tokens that would ensure requests originate from legitimate administrative interfaces.
The technical exploitation of this CSRF vulnerability enables attackers to manipulate the HedEx system configuration parameters without user knowledge or consent. When a victim with administrative privileges visits a malicious webpage, the embedded scripts automatically submit requests to the HedEx management interface that perform actions such as modifying network settings, changing user permissions, or disrupting service operations. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data manipulation as it can lead to complete system compromise and service disruption. Attackers can leverage this weakness to inject malicious configurations that may persist across system restarts, potentially creating backdoors or disabling critical network services. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by the fact that it requires no special privileges or credentials beyond those of a legitimate administrative user, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative access is not strictly controlled.
Operational impact of this vulnerability can be catastrophic for organizations relying on HedEx for network management and monitoring. The ability to tamper with configurations without detection creates opportunities for both accidental service disruption and targeted attacks. An attacker could disable security features, modify firewall rules, or alter routing configurations that would compromise network security and availability. The vulnerability also enables denial-of-service conditions by allowing attackers to modify critical system parameters that govern service availability. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to network resources, data exfiltration through modified access controls, or complete network service interruption. The persistent nature of configuration changes means that the damage can compound over time, with each successful attack potentially building upon previous compromises. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499 for Network Denial of Service, where attackers can leverage system configuration weaknesses to disrupt service availability.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. Organizations should immediately upgrade to HedEx version 200R006C00 or later, which includes proper CSRF protection mechanisms. The upgrade process should include thorough testing to ensure that existing configurations remain functional while implementing new security controls. Network administrators should implement additional layers of protection including multi-factor authentication for administrative interfaces, IP address restrictions for management access, and regular monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes. Security controls should be designed to detect anomalous administrative activities and implement automated alerting mechanisms. The implementation of proper anti-CSRF tokens and origin validation checks should be mandatory for all web-based administrative interfaces. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other network management systems and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to address CSRF-related compromises. Network segmentation and privilege separation can further reduce the potential impact of successful CSRF attacks by limiting the scope of administrative capabilities available to compromised accounts.