CVE-2018-5281 in SonicOS
Summary
by MITRE
SonicWall SonicOS on Network Security Appliance (NSA) 2017 Q4 devices has XSS via the CFS Custom Category and Cloud AV DB Exclusion Settings screens.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5281 affects SonicWall SonicOS firmware versions released in the 2017 fourth quarter for Network Security Appliance devices. This issue represents a cross-site scripting vulnerability that manifests within the web-based management interface of these security appliances. The affected components specifically include the CFS Custom Category and Cloud AV DB Exclusion Settings screens, which are critical administrative interfaces used by network security administrators to configure content filtering and antivirus database exclusions. These screens serve as entry points for configuring security policies that directly impact network traffic inspection and threat detection capabilities.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web interface components of the SonicOS firmware. When administrators interact with the CFS Custom Category and Cloud AV DB Exclusion Settings screens, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in web responses. This omission creates a condition where malicious actors can inject arbitrary JavaScript code through carefully crafted input parameters. The vulnerability exists because the application does not implement proper context-aware output encoding or input sanitization mechanisms that would prevent malicious scripts from executing in the context of authenticated users' browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with a potential path to compromise the administrative interface of SonicWall devices. An attacker who can successfully exploit this XSS vulnerability could execute malicious scripts in the context of an authenticated administrator session, potentially leading to complete compromise of the network security appliance. The attacker could perform actions such as modifying security policies, accessing sensitive configuration data, creating backdoor accounts, or redirecting users to malicious sites. Given that these are network security appliances, the compromise could lead to broader network infiltration and disruption of security controls. The vulnerability affects the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of the protected network infrastructure, making it a critical concern for enterprise security operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-5281 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from SonicWall to address the identified XSS vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit administrative access to these devices, reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation. Network administrators should consider implementing web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to detect and block malicious payloads attempting to exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, security awareness training for administrators can help prevent social engineering attacks that might leverage this vulnerability. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a technique that could be categorized under ATT&CK tactic TA0001 (Initial Access) and technique T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) in the MITRE ATT&CK framework. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their network infrastructure to identify any other potential vulnerabilities in similar web-based management interfaces.