CVE-2004-2155 in Online-bookmarks
Summary
by MITRE
Online-bookmarks before 0.4.6 allows remote attackers to bypass its authentication mechanism via a direct request to (1) config/*, (2) bookmarks.php, (3) footer.php, (4) main.php, (5) tree.php, or (6) functions.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-2155 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in the online-bookmarks application version 0.4.5 and earlier. This vulnerability stems from improper access control mechanisms that fail to validate user credentials before granting access to sensitive application components. The flaw specifically affects the application's configuration and core functionality files, including config/* directory contents, bookmarks.php, footer.php, main.php, tree.php, and functions.php. These files contain critical application logic and configuration data that should only be accessible to authenticated users with appropriate privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of input validation and access control checks within the application's request handling mechanism. Attackers can exploit this weakness by directly accessing the vulnerable files without proper authentication, effectively circumventing the application's intended security controls. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-285, which describes improper authorization issues where the system fails to properly verify that the requesting entity has adequate access rights to perform the requested operation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows unauthorized access to multiple core application components that likely contain sensitive data processing logic, configuration settings, and user management functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with unauthorized access to the application's administrative and functional components. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially modify application configuration, access sensitive data, manipulate bookmarks, and potentially escalate privileges within the system. The attack surface is broad since multiple core files are affected, allowing for various exploitation vectors and potential data exfiltration or system compromise. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which covers credential harvesting, as attackers can leverage the bypassed authentication to gain access to the application's functionality.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper access control mechanisms throughout the application. The application should enforce authentication checks before allowing access to any sensitive files or directories, particularly those in the config/* path and core application files. Implementing a centralized authentication system that validates user credentials against a secure session or token mechanism would prevent direct access to protected components. Additionally, the application should employ proper input validation and sanitization to ensure that requests are properly filtered and authenticated before processing. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses, and the application should be updated to version 0.4.6 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper authentication enforcement mechanisms.