CVE-2022-1254 in Skyhigh Secure Web Gateway
Summary
by MITRE • 04/20/2022
A URL redirection vulnerability in Skyhigh SWG in main releases 10.x prior to 10.2.9, 9.x prior to 9.2.20, 8.x prior to 8.2.27, and 7.x prior to 7.8.2.31, and controlled release 11.x prior to 11.1.3 allows a remote attacker to redirect a user to a malicious website controlled by the attacker. This is possible because SWG incorrectly creates a HTTP redirect response when a user clicks a carefully constructed URL. Following the redirect response, the new request is still filtered by the SWG policy.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-1254 represents a critical URL redirection flaw within Skyhigh Secure Web Gateway (SWG) software across multiple version branches including 7.x through 10.x releases. This weakness manifests as an improper handling of HTTP redirect responses when users interact with specially crafted URLs, creating a significant attack vector for remote threat actors. The vulnerability affects organizations relying on Skyhigh SWG for web filtering and security enforcement, potentially compromising user safety and network integrity. The flaw stems from the software's failure to properly validate and sanitize redirect destinations, allowing attackers to manipulate the redirection process to point to malicious domains controlled by adversaries. This issue is particularly concerning given that the affected versions include widely deployed software releases spanning several major version lines.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the SWG's HTTP response handling mechanism where the system generates redirect responses without adequate validation of the target URL. When users click on maliciously constructed URLs, the SWG system creates HTTP redirect responses that appear legitimate to end users but actually direct them to attacker-controlled websites. The malicious redirection bypasses normal security checks because the subsequent request to the malicious site still passes through the SWG policy enforcement engine, creating a false sense of security while actually enabling the attacker to deliver malicious content. This behavior aligns with CWE-601 URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect') which specifically addresses the risk of redirecting users to untrusted domains without proper validation. The vulnerability exists at the application layer where HTTP protocol handling fails to implement proper input sanitization and validation controls.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-1254 extends beyond simple phishing attacks to encompass broader security compromise scenarios. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to conduct sophisticated social engineering campaigns by redirecting users to convincing replicas of legitimate websites, potentially capturing credentials or sensitive information. The vulnerability also enables the delivery of malware through malicious downloads or drive-by downloads, as the redirect bypasses normal content filtering mechanisms. Organizations using affected SWG versions face increased risk of data breaches, insider threat exploitation, and compliance violations since the security controls are effectively circumvented. The persistence of this vulnerability across multiple major version lines indicates a fundamental flaw in the software's architecture that affects organizations with varying security postures and deployment configurations.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Skyhigh SWG software, specifically versions 10.2.9, 9.2.20, 8.2.27, 7.8.2.31, and 11.1.3. Organizations lacking immediate upgrade capabilities should consider implementing network-level restrictions on external URL redirection, deploying additional web filtering solutions, and conducting comprehensive user awareness training to recognize potential redirect-based attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and MITRE ATT&CK framework's web application attack patterns, particularly the 'Server Side Request Forgery' and 'Phishing' techniques. Organizations should also monitor network traffic for suspicious redirect patterns and implement logging controls to detect potential exploitation attempts, ensuring that security monitoring systems can identify anomalous redirect behavior that may indicate active exploitation of this vulnerability.