CVE-2005-0285 in payment application
Summary
by MITRE
webseries payment application does not properly restrict privileged operations which allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges by directly accessing certain urls.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-0285 affects the webseries payment application where insufficient access controls are implemented to restrict privileged operations. This represents a critical authorization flaw that undermines the application's security model and allows authenticated users to escalate their privileges through direct URL manipulation. The issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate user permissions before granting access to sensitive administrative functions, creating a pathway for unauthorized privilege escalation.
This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-285 which specifically addresses improper authorization issues in software systems. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of insufficient access control where the application relies on URL-based security rather than robust authentication and authorization mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this by directly accessing specific URLs that should only be available to administrators or privileged users, bypassing the normal application flow that would typically validate credentials and permissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows remote authenticated users to gain elevated privileges without proper authorization checks. This means that any user who has authenticated to the payment application can potentially access administrative functions by simply knowing or discovering the correct URL patterns. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no additional exploitation techniques beyond simple URL manipulation, making it easily reproducible and highly effective for privilege escalation attacks. This vulnerability directly enables lateral movement within the application and could potentially lead to complete system compromise if administrative functions are accessible.
The security implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass broader concerns about application integrity and data protection. When users can directly access administrative URLs, they gain access to sensitive operations that could include user management, transaction review, system configuration changes, and data modification capabilities. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture and violates core security principles of least privilege and defense in depth. Organizations using this payment application face increased risk of data breaches, unauthorized transactions, and system compromise.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper access control mechanisms including role-based access control, input validation, and proper session management. The application should validate user permissions at every request point rather than relying on URL-based access control. Security measures should include implementing proper authentication checks before allowing access to privileged functions, logging all access attempts to administrative URLs, and ensuring that URL parameters cannot be manipulated to bypass authorization. Additionally, regular security testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar access control vulnerabilities. The remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which addresses valid accounts and privilege escalation through proper access control implementation. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for unusual access patterns to administrative functions.