CVE-2004-1968 in OpenBB
Summary
by MITRE
The readmsg action in myhome.php in Open Bulletin Board (OpenBB) 1.0.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to read arbitrary messages by modifying the id parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1968 resides within the Open Bulletin Board 1.0.6 software and earlier versions, specifically within the myhome.php script where the readmsg action is implemented. This represents a classic access control flaw that enables unauthorized users to bypass normal message retrieval restrictions. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and parameter sanitization within the id parameter handling mechanism, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the message identifier value to access content they should not be authorized to view.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a clear lack of proper authentication and authorization checks within the application's message reading functionality. When the id parameter is passed to the readmsg action, the system fails to verify whether the requesting user has legitimate access rights to the specified message. This flaw falls under the category of insecure direct object references as defined by CWE-639, where the application directly references objects using user-supplied input without proper access control validation. The vulnerability enables arbitrary file reading through parameter manipulation, which represents a significant security weakness in the application's access control model.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to the confidentiality of message content within the Open Bulletin Board system. Remote attackers can exploit this flaw to access private messages, user communications, and potentially sensitive information shared within the bulletin board environment. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it compromises the integrity of the system's user privacy controls and undermines the trust users place in the platform's security measures. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.0.6, indicating a long-standing issue that was not properly addressed in the software's security architecture.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with techniques documented in the ATT&CK framework under the information gathering and credential access phases, where adversaries seek to obtain unauthorized access to sensitive data. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability represents a fundamental flaw in the application's security design that requires immediate attention. The remediation approach should focus on implementing proper access control checks before any message retrieval operations are performed. This includes validating user permissions against the requested message identifier and ensuring that the application enforces strict authorization boundaries. Additionally, input validation mechanisms should be strengthened to prevent parameter manipulation attacks, and the system should implement proper logging of access attempts to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations using OpenBB versions prior to 1.0.7 should urgently apply patches or upgrade to secure versions that address this direct object reference vulnerability.