CVE-2020-16256 in Winston
Summary
by MITRE • 10/29/2020
The API on Winston 1.5.4 devices is vulnerable to CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-16256 affects Winston 1.5.4 devices and represents a critical security flaw in the application programming interface design. This issue manifests as a Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability that allows attackers to execute unauthorized commands on affected systems through manipulated web requests. The vulnerability specifically impacts the API endpoints of Winston devices, which are commonly used in industrial control systems and network infrastructure management. The flaw arises from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the device's web interface and API communications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of robust CSRF protection mechanisms in the device's API layer. When legitimate users interact with the Winston device's web interface, the system fails to verify that requests originate from authorized sources or that appropriate anti-CSRF tokens are present in each transaction. This allows an attacker to craft malicious web pages or exploit existing user sessions to perform unauthorized operations such as changing network configurations, modifying user accounts, or executing administrative commands without proper authentication. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the trust relationship between the device and authenticated users, making it difficult to detect and prevent through standard network monitoring approaches.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-16256 extends beyond simple unauthorized access to potentially critical infrastructure systems. In industrial environments where Winston devices are deployed for network management and control, this vulnerability could enable attackers to disrupt operations, gain persistent access to network segments, or escalate privileges to administrative levels. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the device's configuration management functions, potentially leading to service outages or unauthorized network modifications. Attackers could exploit this weakness to establish backdoors, modify firewall rules, or compromise the entire network infrastructure managed by the affected devices. The risk is amplified in environments where multiple devices share similar vulnerabilities, creating potential for cascading failures across interconnected systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including enabling proper CSRF token validation on all API endpoints, implementing origin checking mechanisms, and ensuring that all administrative functions require additional authentication factors beyond simple session management. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of vulnerable devices to untrusted networks. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other network infrastructure components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering approaches that could exploit such vulnerabilities. Device vendors should provide firmware updates with proper CSRF protection mechanisms, and organizations should maintain updated inventories of all network devices to ensure comprehensive vulnerability management across their infrastructure.