CVE-2022-2310 in Skyhigh SWG
Summary
by MITRE • 07/27/2022
An authentication bypass vulnerability in Skyhigh SWG in main releases 10.x prior to 10.2.12, 9.x prior to 9.2.23, 8.x prior to 8.2.28, and controlled release 11.x prior to 11.2.1 allows a remote attacker to bypass authentication into the administration User Interface. This is possible because of SWG incorrectly whitelisting authentication bypass methods and using a weak crypto password. This can lead to the attacker logging into the SWG admin interface, without valid credentials, as the super user with complete control over the SWG.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2022-2310 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within Skyhigh Secure Web Gateway (SWG) products that affects multiple major release versions including 10.x prior to 10.2.12, 9.x prior to 9.2.23, 8.x prior to 8.2.28, and controlled release 11.x prior to 11.2.1. This vulnerability fundamentally undermines the security posture of affected systems by allowing remote attackers to gain administrative access without legitimate credentials, creating a severe risk for organizations relying on these security appliances for web content filtering and network protection.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper authentication handling within the SWG administration interface where the system incorrectly whitelists authentication bypass methods and employs weak cryptographic password mechanisms. This flaw enables attackers to exploit specific pathways that should normally require valid authentication credentials, allowing them to assume the identity of a super user with complete administrative privileges. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-287 which specifically addresses improper authentication issues, making it a direct manifestation of weak authentication controls that can be exploited through remote network access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is extremely severe as it provides attackers with complete control over the affected SWG appliances, enabling them to manipulate security policies, access filtered content, monitor network traffic, and potentially exfiltrate sensitive data. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face significant risk of unauthorized access to their network security infrastructure, which could lead to data breaches, network infiltration, and complete compromise of their web security posture. The vulnerability affects the core administrative functionality of the system, making it particularly dangerous as it undermines the fundamental security controls that organizations depend upon for network protection.
Security practitioners should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, specifically 10.2.12 for 10.x releases, 9.2.23 for 9.x releases, 8.2.28 for 8.x releases, and 11.2.1 for 11.x controlled releases. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, enforcing strict firewall rules to restrict access to management ports, and monitoring for suspicious authentication attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as attackers can leverage the bypass to establish persistent access and potentially expand their attack surface. Additional defensive measures should include regular security assessments of network infrastructure, implementation of multi-factor authentication where possible, and maintaining comprehensive logging of administrative activities to detect unauthorized access attempts.