CVE-2022-43398 - POWER METER SICAM Q200 Family Session Fixation Vulnerability and Exploit Details

A security vulnerability (CVE-2022-43398) has been recently identified in the POWER METER SICAM Q200 family devices, which impacts all versions below V2.70. The devices fail to renew the session cookie after users log in and out and accept user-defined session cookies. As a result, an attacker could potentially overwrite the stored session cookies of their victim, leading to unauthorized access to user accounts. This blog post will examine the vulnerability, provide an exploit description, and offer links to the original references for mitigation.

Vulnerability Details

Device: POWER METER SICAM Q200 family devices
Affected Versions: All versions earlier than V2.70
CVE ID: CVE-2022-43398
Impact: Medium
Vulnerability Type: Session Fixation

To better understand the vulnerability, let's first explore the concept of session fixation. Typically, a web application will use session cookies to maintain user state between interactions. However, when these cookies aren't managed correctly, attackers can exploit them to impersonate a legitimate user.

An exploit occurs in the POWER METER SICAM Q200 family devices when it fails to renew the session cookie after a user logs in or out. Additionally, it accepts user-defined session cookies. Because of this, an attacker can set their own session cookie on the victim's device, effectively hijacking their session.

Attacker crafts a malicious link containing their session cookie

http://example.com/login?sessionID=AttackersSessionCookie

The victim logs into the POWER METER SICAM Q200 system using their credentials.

4. The attacker now has access to the victim's account, as the session is active with the attacker's session cookie.

Exploit Description

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first identify the session cookie's naming structure used by the POWER METER SICAM Q200 family devices. Once determined, they must trick the victim into setting a user-defined session cookie on their device, usually through techniques like phishing or social engineering.

Finally, the attacker needs to wait until the victim logs into their account. When the victim does so, the session cookie is activated, and the attacker gains access to the victim's account.

Mitigation and Recommendations

Users of the POWER METER SICAM Q200 family devices are urged to update their firmware to version V2.70 or later, which resolves the security vulnerability. Moreover, system administrators should review their application's session management mechanisms to ensure proper cookie handling.

Original References

For more information regarding this vulnerability, CVE-2022-43398, and its mitigation, please refer to the following links:

1. CVE-2022-43398 Official Listing
2. POWER METER SICAM Q200 Firmware Update Information

Conclusion

CVE-2022-43398 is a security vulnerability that affects the POWER METER SICAM Q200 family devices. The vulnerability lies in the device's mishandling of session cookies, thereby allowing an attacker to exploit the session fixation to gain unauthorized access to user accounts. Users and system administrators of affected devices are encouraged to update their firmware to the latest version and review their systems for any signs of compromise.

Timeline

Published on: 11/08/2022 11:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 06/13/2023 09:15:00 UTC