CVE-2018-16172 in Remote Service
Summary
by MITRE
Improper countermeasure against clickjacking attack in client certificates management screen was discovered in Cybozu Remote Service 3.0.0 to 3.1.8, that allows remote attackers to trick a user to delete the registered client certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-16172 represents a critical security flaw in the Cybozu Remote Service software version 3.0.0 through 3.1.8. This issue stems from inadequate protection mechanisms against clickjacking attacks, which are malicious techniques designed to deceive users into performing unintended actions by overlaying invisible or deceptive elements on legitimate web interfaces. The vulnerability specifically affects the client certificates management screen, which serves as a critical interface for managing digital certificates used in secure communications and authentication processes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the absence of proper clickjacking countermeasures within the web application's user interface. When users navigate to the client certificate management screen, they are exposed to a potentially dangerous environment where attackers can craft malicious web pages that overlay the legitimate interface with deceptive elements. These deceptive elements can be designed to capture user interactions and redirect them to unintended actions, particularly the deletion of registered client certificates. The flaw essentially allows an attacker to exploit the trust relationship between the user and the legitimate application interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data loss, as client certificate deletion can severely compromise the security posture of organizations relying on Cybozu Remote Service. Client certificates serve as critical authentication mechanisms in secure communication protocols, and their unauthorized removal can lead to complete authentication failures, potential unauthorized access to protected systems, and disruption of secure remote services. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform destructive actions without requiring any special privileges or credentials, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where certificate management is critical for maintaining secure remote access.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a direct violation of established web application security principles and standards such as those defined in CWE-1021, which specifically addresses "Improper Restriction of Rendered UI Layers or Frames." The issue also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1211, which covers "Exploitation for Defense Evasion" through the manipulation of user interfaces to achieve unauthorized actions. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of X-Frame-Options headers, Content Security Policy directives, and frame-busting scripts to prevent the embedding of the vulnerable interface in malicious contexts. Additionally, regular security assessments and user education regarding suspicious interface behavior can help prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.
The remediation approach for CVE-2018-16172 requires immediate software updates to versions that properly implement clickjacking protection mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication for certificate management operations, regular security audits of web application interfaces, and monitoring for unusual certificate deletion patterns. The vulnerability highlights the importance of comprehensive security testing that includes user interface security aspects, particularly for applications handling sensitive authentication mechanisms and certificate management functions.