CVE-2005-1654 in Hosting Controller
Summary
by MITRE
Hosting Controller 6.1 Hotfix 1.9 and earlier allows remote attackers to register arbitrary users via a direct request to addsubsite.asp with the loginname and password parameters set.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1654 affects Hosting Controller version 6.1 Hotfix 1.9 and earlier installations, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that enables remote attackers to register arbitrary user accounts within the system. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the web application's user registration process. The vulnerability specifically targets the addsubsite.asp component which serves as the entry point for user account creation, making it a prime target for unauthorized account provisioning.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through direct HTTP requests to the addsubsite.asp endpoint without proper authentication or authorization checks. Attackers can construct malicious requests containing loginname and password parameters to create new user accounts with arbitrary credentials, effectively bypassing the normal registration workflow that should enforce proper validation and access controls. This flaw operates under CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization within software systems, specifically manifesting as a lack of proper access control validation during user creation processes. The vulnerability essentially allows attackers to perform user enumeration and account creation attacks without requiring legitimate credentials or administrative privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with the capability to establish persistent unauthorized access to the hosting platform. Once an attacker successfully registers arbitrary user accounts, they can potentially escalate privileges, access sensitive data, manipulate hosting configurations, or use the created accounts for further malicious activities. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1133 which covers external remote services, and T1078 which addresses valid accounts. The ability to register accounts without proper authorization creates a backdoor that can be leveraged for long-term access and reconnaissance activities within the compromised hosting environment.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and authentication controls within the addsubsite.asp component. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided hotfix or upgrade to a patched version of Hosting Controller that addresses this authentication bypass issue. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls should be configured to monitor and restrict direct access to administrative endpoints. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and authentication checks for all user registration endpoints, along with regular security audits of application logic, can prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. The remediation process should also include monitoring for unauthorized user account creation and implementing logging mechanisms to track all registration activities.