CVE-2004-1652 in phpScheduleIt
Summary
by MITRE
phpScheduleIt 1.0.0 RC1 does not clear administrative privileges if the administrator logs in as a normal user, which allows users with physical access to gain administrative privileges.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1652 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the phpScheduleIt 1.0.0 Release Candidate 1 web application. This issue specifically affects the session management and authentication mechanisms that govern administrative access controls within the system. The flaw manifests when an administrator performs a login operation while authenticated as a regular user, creating a persistent security gap that can be exploited by individuals with physical access to the system. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and proper access control enforcement within the application's security architecture.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of session state management during user authentication transitions. When an administrator logs in as a regular user, the system fails to properly invalidate or reset the administrative session context, leaving behind residual privileges that persist beyond the intended scope of the user's access level. This design flaw allows for a form of session hijacking or privilege escalation where unauthorized physical access can be leveraged to assume administrative roles. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the authentication and authorization components that should enforce strict access controls between different user roles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant and multifaceted, particularly in environments where physical security boundaries may be compromised or where unauthorized individuals might gain access to systems. An attacker with physical access could potentially exploit this vulnerability to elevate their privileges and gain full administrative control over the phpScheduleIt system, including access to sensitive scheduling data, user management capabilities, and system configuration options. This threat vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal technical expertise to exploit, relying primarily on physical access rather than complex network-based attacks. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor that bypasses normal authentication mechanisms, making it difficult to detect and trace unauthorized administrative activities.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and demonstrates a failure to properly implement access control mechanisms. From an attack perspective, this issue maps to the privilege escalation techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1068 category for bypassing user account control. The vulnerability also reflects poor session management practices that violate security best practices established in industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten. Organizations using phpScheduleIt 1.0.0 RC1 should immediately implement mitigations including proper session invalidation upon role transitions, enhanced physical security controls, and regular security audits to prevent exploitation of this flaw. The remediation process should involve updating to a patched version of the application, implementing stricter session management protocols, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.