CVE-2023-27572 - Reflected XSS Vulnerability in CommScope Arris DG345 Cable Gateway

A recent security issue has surfaced, categorized as CVE-2023-27572, affecting CommScope Arris DG345 Cable Gateway devices. A reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability was discovered in the https_redirect.php web page via the page parameter. This vulnerability potentially exposes users to a variety of security risks such as unauthorized access to sensitive information or being injected with malicious code. In this post, we will dive deeper into the vulnerability details, analyze sample code snippets, and discuss potential exploits.

Description

The Arris DG345 Cable Gateway examined in this case had firmware version AR01.02.056.18_041520_711.NCS.10. The device includes an https_redirect.php web page, which is used to redirect users to a secure HTTPS connection. However, this page contains a reflected XSS vulnerability due to inadequate input sanitization and output encoding of the page parameter. An attacker can exploit the vulnerability by crafting a malicious URL, which may execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the user's browser when visiting the vulnerable page.

The following is a sample of the vulnerable code within the https_redirect.php file

<?php
  echo "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\";url=https://".$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'].$_GET['page']."\">";;
?>

In the code above, the 'page' parameter from the URL is directly used without proper sanitization or encoding, resulting in the reflected XSS vulnerability.

Exploit

An attacker can exploit CVE-2023-27572 by crafting a malicious URL that injects arbitrary JavaScript code within the user's browser. An example is provided below:

https://example.com/https_redirect.php?page="><script>alert('XSS')</script>;

With this URL, if a user clicks or is redirected to the URL, the JavaScript code within the 'page' parameter will execute in their browser, showcasing the alert message 'XSS'. This simple example demonstrates the severity of the vulnerability as an attacker can utilize more complex scripts to steal sensitive information or manipulate user actions.

Further details on this vulnerability are available through the following links

1. CVE - Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE)
2. National Vulnerability Database (NVD)

Conclusion

CVE-2023-27572 is a significant security issue affecting CommScope Arris DG345 Cable Gateway devices. The reflected XSS vulnerability within the https_redirect.php web page exposes users to potential unauthorized access or manipulation through malicious JavaScript injections. Users and administrators are recommended to take necessary precautions to ensure that their devices and networks are secure. Regularly updating firmware and applying security patches to their devices can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. It's also important for web developers to implement proper input sanitization and output encoding to defend against XSS attacks.

Timeline

Published on: 04/15/2023 00:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 04/21/2023 03:46:00 UTC