Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on Belkin F9K1102 2 devices with firmware 2.10.17 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
Remote attackers can exploit a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Belkin F9K1102 2 routers running firmware 2.10.17, potentially allowing them to hijack user sessions and gain unauthorized access to the router's configuration. This vulnerability could lead to significant network compromise and data breaches, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Step 1: Victim Authentication: The victim is logged into the Belkin router's web interface (e.g., via a web browser). The victim's browser has an active session with the router.
Step 2: Attacker Crafting: The attacker crafts a malicious HTML page or email containing a hidden form or a JavaScript snippet that automatically submits a request to the router's vulnerable endpoint. This request is designed to perform an action the attacker desires (e.g., change the DNS server settings).
Step 3: Payload Delivery: The attacker lures the victim to visit the malicious HTML page or opens the malicious email. This can be done through phishing, social engineering, or other means.
Step 4: Request Execution: When the victim's browser loads the malicious page or email, the hidden form or JavaScript automatically submits the crafted request to the router. Because the victim is already authenticated, the browser includes the necessary session cookies in the request.
Step 5: Router Processing: The router receives the malicious request. Due to the lack of CSRF protection, the router processes the request as if it originated from the victim. The requested action (e.g., changing DNS settings) is performed.
Step 6: Attack Completion: The attacker has successfully manipulated the router's configuration, potentially gaining control over the network or intercepting sensitive data.
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the Belkin router's web interface. Specifically, the router's web application fails to validate the origin of requests, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that are executed by a victim's browser. This flaw allows an attacker to trick an authenticated user into performing actions they did not intend, such as changing the router's settings, including the administrator password, or redirecting network traffic. The absence of CSRF tokens or other origin validation techniques makes the router susceptible to this type of attack.