CVE-2020-14432 in RBK752
Summary
by MITRE
Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by CSRF. This affects RBK752 before 3.2.15.25, RBK753 before 3.2.15.25, RBK753S before 3.2.15.25, RBR750 before 3.2.15.25, RBS750 before 3.2.15.25, RBK842 before 3.2.15.25, RBR840 before 3.2.15.25, RBS840 before 3.2.15.25, RBK852 before 3.2.15.25, RBK853 before 3.2.15.25, RBR850 before 3.2.15.25, and RBS850 before 3.2.15.25.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/25/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-14432 represents a cross-site request forgery issue affecting multiple NETGEAR router models within the RBK and RBR series. This CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of requests originating from authenticated sessions, allowing malicious actors to perform unauthorized actions on affected devices without proper authentication. The affected devices include RBK752, RBK753, RBK753S, RBR750, RBS750, RBK842, RBR840, RBS840, RBK852, RBK853, RBR850, and RBS8850, all running firmware versions prior to 3.2.15.25. The vulnerability exists in the web-based management interface of these devices, where state-changing operations lack proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifests in the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the web interface of these routers. When administrators interact with the device's management portal, the system should validate that requests originate from legitimate authenticated sessions. However, the affected NETGEAR devices fail to implement proper CSRF protection measures, making them susceptible to attacks where an attacker can craft malicious web pages or links that, when visited by an authenticated user, automatically submit unauthorized commands to the router. This vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues in software applications. The flaw allows attackers to perform operations such as changing administrative passwords, modifying network configurations, or disabling security features without requiring knowledge of the current administrative credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on these NETGEAR devices for network infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain unauthorized administrative access to the affected routers, potentially leading to complete network compromise. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed through social engineering techniques where victims are tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links. This scenario is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network administrators may unknowingly trigger unauthorized configuration changes while browsing compromised websites. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1072, which involves the use of remote services for lateral movement and privilege escalation, as compromised routers can serve as entry points for broader network infiltration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve firmware updates to versions 3.2.15.25 or later, which contain the necessary CSRF protection mechanisms. Network administrators should immediately patch all affected devices and verify that the updates have been successfully applied. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to router management interfaces, restricting administrative access to specific IP addresses, and ensuring that management interfaces are not accessible from untrusted networks. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments of their network infrastructure to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other network devices. The implementation of proper access controls and monitoring of administrative activities can help detect unauthorized configuration changes that might result from exploitation of this vulnerability.