CVE-2018-0647 in WL-330NUL
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in WL-330NUL Firmware version prior to 3.0.0.46 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2020
The CVE-2018-0647 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting the WL-330NUL wireless router firmware versions prior to 3.0.0.46. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated sessions and potentially gain administrative control over affected devices through unspecified attack vectors that exploit the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the firmware's web interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or other session validation mechanisms in the web-based administration interface of the affected router models. When administrators access the router's management console, the firmware fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than maliciously crafted requests from external attackers. This weakness allows attackers to construct malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, perform unauthorized administrative actions without the user's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability specifically targets the authentication mechanisms that protect administrative access, making it particularly dangerous for network security.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-0647 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with the capability to completely compromise the affected router's administrative functions. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to modify network configurations, change administrator credentials, disable security features, redirect traffic, or even install malicious firmware updates. This vulnerability directly affects the integrity and confidentiality of network communications, as administrators may unknowingly perform actions that expose the network to further attacks or compromise the router's role as a security gateway. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access to the device or network presence to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly concerning for enterprise and home network environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-0647 primarily focus on firmware updates and network segmentation measures. Organizations should immediately upgrade all affected WL-330NUL devices to firmware version 3.0.0.46 or later, which includes proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Network administrators should also implement additional security controls such as disabling remote administration access where possible, implementing strict firewall rules to limit access to administrative interfaces, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious activities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, and organizations should consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of firmware security practices and the need for regular security assessments of network infrastructure components to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in other network devices.