CVE-2003-1423 in Petitforum
Summary
by MITRE
Petitforum stores the liste.txt data file under the web document root with insufficient access control, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information such as e-mail addresses and encrypted passwords.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/04/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1423 affects Petitforum, a web-based discussion forum application that was widely used in the early 2000s. This flaw represents a critical security oversight in the application's file management and access control mechanisms, fundamentally compromising the confidentiality of user data stored within the system. The vulnerability stems from the application's improper configuration where sensitive data files are placed in the web document root directory without adequate access restrictions, creating an exploitable condition that violates fundamental web security principles.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to implement proper access controls for sensitive data files, specifically the liste.txt file that contains user information including email addresses and password hashes. When files are stored in the web document root directory without appropriate permissions or access restrictions, they become directly accessible through standard web requests. This misconfiguration allows remote attackers to craft HTTP requests that directly access these sensitive files, bypassing any intended authentication or authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability operates at the file system level where the web server's configuration fails to properly isolate sensitive data from public web access, creating a direct path for information disclosure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it exposes not only email addresses but also encrypted password hashes to unauthorized parties. This exposure creates multiple attack vectors for threat actors, including credential reuse attacks, social engineering campaigns, and further exploitation attempts. The disclosure of email addresses enables phishing attacks and spam campaigns, while the presence of encrypted passwords provides potential targets for offline password cracking attempts. The vulnerability effectively undermines the confidentiality assurances that users expect from web applications, potentially leading to account compromise, data breaches, and broader security incidents within affected organizations that deployed this forum software.
The flaw aligns with CWE-22 (Improper Limiting of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory) and CWE-264 (Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) categories, representing classic path traversal and access control violations that have persisted in web applications for decades. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566 (Phishing) and T1565 (Data Manipulation) tactics, as attackers can leverage the disclosed information for phishing campaigns and potentially modify the compromised data. The vulnerability also demonstrates the principle of least privilege violation, where sensitive data files are granted unnecessary public access, violating fundamental security design principles. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement proper file access controls, relocate sensitive data files outside the web document root, and consider implementing additional security measures such as web application firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate remediation through proper file system access controls, ensuring that sensitive data files are stored outside the web-accessible directory structure and configured with appropriate permissions. System administrators should implement proper access controls using web server configuration directives, file system permissions, and application-level security measures to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data files. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits of their web applications to identify similar misconfigurations and implement automated scanning processes to detect and remediate such vulnerabilities proactively. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper file access control and the fundamental security principle that sensitive data should never be directly accessible through web requests without proper authentication and authorization mechanisms.