CVE-2020-23055 in WLC-1000
Summary
by MITRE • 10/23/2021
ANCOM WLAN Controller (Wireless Series & Hotspot) WLC-1000 & WLC-4006 was discovered to contain multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the /authen/start/ module via the userid and password parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2021
The ANCOM WLAN Controller series represents a critical class of network infrastructure devices that manage wireless access points and hotspot connectivity for enterprise and institutional deployments. These controllers operate as central management points for wireless networks, handling authentication processes and user access control for thousands of connected devices. The vulnerability identified in the WLC-1000 and WLC-4006 models specifically targets the authentication module at the /authen/start/ endpoint, which serves as the primary interface for user credential submission during wireless network access. This authentication process is fundamental to network security as it controls who can access the wireless infrastructure and what resources they can utilize.
The technical flaw manifests as multiple cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that occur when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user input parameters, specifically the userid and password fields within the authentication module. When malicious actors submit crafted payloads through these parameters, the application reflects the unvalidated input back to the user's browser without adequate security controls. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a common web application security flaw where malicious scripts are injected into trusted websites. The impact is particularly severe because the authentication endpoint represents a high-value target in network security architecture where attackers could exploit this weakness to manipulate the authentication process itself.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive network authentication mechanisms. An attacker could craft malicious payloads that, when executed in a victim's browser, could steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even execute commands on behalf of authenticated users. The authentication module represents a critical entry point for network access, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations relying on these controllers for wireless network management. This weakness could enable attackers to escalate privileges, access unauthorized network resources, or potentially compromise the entire wireless infrastructure. The vulnerability affects not only individual user accounts but could also provide access to network configuration data and administrative functions that control wireless access policies.
Security mitigation strategies should focus on immediate input validation and output encoding controls within the affected authentication module. Organizations should implement proper sanitization of all user inputs through parameterized queries and HTML encoding techniques to prevent script injection attacks. Network segmentation and access controls should be enhanced to limit exposure of the vulnerable authentication endpoints to untrusted networks. Additionally, regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in network infrastructure components, as this type of weakness often indicates broader architectural security gaps that may affect other modules within the system. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering attacks including credential harvesting through malicious web content, emphasizing the need for comprehensive web application security controls in network infrastructure devices. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to provide additional protection layers against such attacks while working with vendors to obtain security patches and updates for affected devices.