CVE-2024-20437: Examining the Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software's Web-Based Management Interface

A recently discovered vulnerability, dubbed CVE-2024-20437, lies in the web-based management interface of Cisco IOS XE Software. This security hole could potentially allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to perform a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attack and execute arbitrary commands on the CLI of an affected device.

In this article, we will delve into the details of CVE-2024-20437, provide code snippets for better understanding, share links to original references, and discuss exploit details.

Understanding the Vulnerability

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient CSRF protections for the web-based management interface of an affected device. In simple terms, the affected device does not sufficiently verify if a request has come from a legitimate source.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs to persuade an already authenticated user (target) to follow a crafted link. The attacker could do this via a phishing email, for example. Once the target clicks on the link, the attacker is able to perform arbitrary actions on the affected device with the privileges of the targeted user.

Here's a code snippet that demonstrates how an attacker could craft a malicious link

<a href="http://targetdevice.example.com/csrf-attack.html"; target="_blank">Click here for an important update</a>

When the targeted user clicks on this link, the attacker is given the opportunity to execute commands on the Command Line Interface (CLI) of the affected device. For example, here's a code snippet that shows how an attacker could execute a command to reboot the affected device:

document.getElementById("csrf-form").submit();

Original References

For more information on the CVE-2024-20437 vulnerability and its potential impact, you can refer to the following links:

1. Cisco's Official Security Advisory - This advisory provides in-depth information about the vulnerability, affected products, and suggested mitigation strategies.
2. National Vulnerability Database (NVD) Entry - This entry offers a detailed technical explanation of the vulnerability, along with potential impact, attack vectors, and related references.
3. Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Listing - This page contains an informative summary of CVE-2024-20437, as well as related links for further research.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-20437 is a critical vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software's web-based management interface, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary actions on the affected devices. Organizations using the affected products should act swiftly to implement Cisco's suggested solutions and follow best security practices to avoid falling victim to potential exploits.

Timeline

Published on: 09/25/2024 17:15:16 UTC
Last modified on: 09/26/2024 13:32:02 UTC