CVE-2019-19942 in Centro Grande
Summary
by MITRE
Missing output sanitation in Swisscom Centro Grande Centro Grande before 6.16.12, Centro Business 1.0 (ADB) before 7.10.18, and Centro Business 2.0 before 8.02.04 allows a remote attacker to perform DNS spoofing against the web interface via crafted hostnames in DHCP requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-19942 represents a critical security flaw in the Swisscom Centro Grande and Centro Business series of network devices that affects multiple firmware versions prior to specific patches. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the DHCP processing mechanisms of these devices, creating a pathway for remote attackers to manipulate network communications through DNS spoofing attacks. The affected products include Centro Grande versions before 6.16.12 and Centro Business versions 1.0 before 7.10.18 and 2.0 before 8.02.04, indicating this vulnerability spans across different product lines and firmware generations within the Swisscom network infrastructure ecosystem.
The technical flaw manifests in the way these network devices handle DHCP requests containing crafted hostnames that are subsequently used in DNS resolution processes. When a device receives a DHCP request with maliciously formatted hostname data, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate this input before incorporating it into DNS responses or web interface communications. This missing sanitization step creates an attack vector where an attacker can inject malicious DNS records or manipulate existing DNS lookups, effectively allowing them to redirect network traffic or intercept communications intended for legitimate services. The vulnerability specifically impacts the web interface functionality, suggesting that the sanitization failure occurs in the layer responsible for processing network configuration data that gets displayed or used within the device's administrative web portal.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple DNS manipulation to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks within the network environment. Remote attackers could leverage this weakness to redirect users to malicious websites, intercept sensitive data transmitted through the affected devices, or create persistent man-in-the-middle scenarios that compromise network integrity. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that these devices are network infrastructure components that typically operate in trusted environments where such vulnerabilities could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to internal systems or to disrupt network services. Organizations relying on these devices for network management and configuration may experience unauthorized access to their administrative interfaces, potentially leading to complete compromise of the affected network segments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate firmware updates to the patched versions mentioned in the CVE description, specifically versions 6.16.12 for Centro Grande and 7.10.18 for Centro Business 1.0 and 8.02.04 for Centro Business 2.0. Network administrators should also implement additional monitoring for unusual DHCP activity or DNS resolution patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-115, which describes improper output sanitization, and represents a clear example of how insufficient input validation can lead to security issues in network infrastructure devices. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving DNS tunneling and man-in-the-middle attacks, with potential for privilege escalation through administrative interface compromise. Organizations should conduct thorough network audits to identify all affected devices and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation, while also considering the deployment of DNS security measures such as DNSSEC to provide additional protection against DNS spoofing attempts.