CVE-2023-20007 in RV340
Summary
by MITRE • 01/20/2023
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV340, RV340W, RV345, and RV345P Dual WAN Gigabit VPN Routers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause the web-based management process on the device to restart unexpectedly, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The attacker must have valid administrator credentials. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input to the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP input to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code as the root user on the underlying operating system or cause the web-based management process to restart, resulting in a DoS condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2023
This vulnerability affects Cisco Small Business routers including RV340, RV340W, RV345, and RV345P models that feature dual wan gigabit vpn capabilities. The issue resides within the web-based management interface which serves as the primary administrative access point for configuring and managing these network devices. These routers are commonly deployed in small business environments where they function as critical network infrastructure components handling traffic routing, vpn connections, and security policies. The vulnerability represents a significant security risk as it allows authenticated remote code execution when combined with valid administrative credentials, potentially compromising the entire network infrastructure.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the web interface's handling of HTTP requests. This weakness falls under the category of input validation vulnerabilities that are categorized as CWE-20 by the CWE organization. The vulnerability occurs when the system fails to properly sanitize and validate user-supplied data before processing it within the application's backend. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious HTTP requests containing specially formatted input that bypasses normal validation checks. The vulnerability specifically targets the web management process which operates with elevated privileges, allowing successful exploitation to result in code execution at the root user level of the underlying operating system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers with valid administrative credentials to gain complete control over the affected routers. When successfully exploited, the vulnerability can lead to arbitrary code execution as root, providing attackers with unrestricted access to the device's operating system. This level of access allows for complete system compromise including modification of network configurations, installation of malicious software, data exfiltration, and potential use as a pivot point for attacking other networked systems. Additionally, the vulnerability can cause unexpected restarts of the web-based management process, leading to denial of service conditions that can disrupt network operations and require manual intervention to restore functionality.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected devices with Cisco's security updates. Organizations should ensure that administrative credentials are properly secured and that access to the web management interface is restricted to authorized personnel only. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of these devices to untrusted networks. Regular security audits and monitoring of administrative access logs should be conducted to detect potential unauthorized access attempts. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for command and script interpreter and T1499.004 for network denial of service, highlighting the need for both prevention and detection measures. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous traffic patterns and unauthorized access attempts to these critical network infrastructure devices.