CVE-2022-25778 in GateManager
Summary
by MITRE • 05/04/2022
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Web UI of Secomea GateManager allows phishing attacker to issue get request in logged in user session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2022
The CVE-2022-25778 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the web user interface of Secomea GateManager industrial networking equipment. This vulnerability specifically targets the authentication and session management mechanisms of the device's web-based administrative interface, creating a significant security risk for industrial control systems and network infrastructure deployments. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between authenticated users and the web application, potentially allowing unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of legitimate users.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms within the GateManager's web interface. When a logged-in user visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the attacker can construct a GET request that leverages the user's existing authenticated session to perform unauthorized operations within the GateManager's administrative context. This occurs because the web application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same origin, relying instead on session cookies alone for authentication verification. The vulnerability specifically affects the GET request processing mechanism, which is commonly used for configuration changes, status queries, or administrative actions within the device management interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond typical web application security concerns due to the industrial nature of Secomea GateManager devices. These appliances serve as critical network gateways in industrial environments, often managing connectivity between operational technology networks and corporate IT systems. An attacker exploiting this CSRF vulnerability could potentially modify network configurations, alter access controls, or disrupt communication pathways that are essential for industrial process control. The implications are particularly severe in environments where these devices manage critical infrastructure connectivity, as unauthorized changes could lead to operational disruptions, security breaches, or even safety hazards in industrial processes. The vulnerability affects the device's administrative web interface, which is typically accessible to authorized personnel but could be compromised through social engineering attacks that trick users into visiting malicious sites while authenticated.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-25778 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the web application layer of GateManager devices. Organizations should ensure that all state-changing operations within the web interface require proper validation tokens that are tied to the user's session and cannot be generated or predicted by external parties. The implementation of the SameSite cookie attributes and proper request origin validation would significantly reduce the attack surface for this vulnerability. Additionally, network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit direct web interface access to authorized personnel only. Security practitioners should also consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious CSRF attack patterns. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1566 for Phishing, highlighting the multi-layered approach required to protect against such attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of applying secure coding practices to industrial control system interfaces, where traditional web application security concerns can have amplified consequences for operational technology environments.