CVE-2005-1664 in ASP.NET
Summary
by MITRE
The __VIEWSTATE functionality in Microsoft ASP.NET 1.x allows remote attackers to conduct replay attacks to (1) apply a ViewState generated from one view to a different view, (2) reuse ViewState information after the application s state has changed, or (3) use the ViewState to conduct attacks or expose content to third parties.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1664 represents a critical security flaw in Microsoft ASP.NET 1.x applications that specifically targets the ViewState mechanism used for maintaining client-side state management. This vulnerability stems from the improper implementation of the __VIEWSTATE functionality which is designed to preserve form state information between postbacks in web applications. The core issue lies in the lack of proper validation and integrity checking mechanisms within the ViewState processing logic, creating opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate or reuse state information in ways that were not intended by the application developers.
The technical flaw manifests when attackers can exploit the absence of cryptographic integrity checks or proper session binding mechanisms within the ViewState. This allows threat actors to perform replay attacks by capturing a valid ViewState from one page or session and then reusing it against different pages or contexts within the same application. The vulnerability specifically enables three distinct attack vectors: first, the ability to apply a ViewState generated from one view to a different view, which bypasses expected state transitions and can lead to unauthorized access or data manipulation; second, the reuse of ViewState information after the application's state has changed, effectively allowing attackers to maintain access or manipulate application state beyond its intended lifecycle; and third, the exploitation of ViewState data to conduct further attacks or expose sensitive content to unauthorized third parties. This weakness directly violates security principles related to authentication, authorization, and data integrity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive application features, data disclosure, and potential privilege escalation within affected ASP.NET applications. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to bypass authentication mechanisms, access restricted pages, manipulate application state, and potentially gain deeper system access. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where ASP.NET applications handle sensitive data or provide administrative functions, as it can enable attackers to maintain persistent access or conduct more sophisticated attacks. The ease of exploitation, combined with the potential for significant impact, makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations running legacy ASP.NET 1.x applications. This weakness maps directly to CWE-319 - Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in a Cookie and CWE-347 - Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature, as it involves the improper handling of sensitive state information that should be protected through cryptographic means.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to supported ASP.NET versions that address this vulnerability, implementing proper ViewState validation mechanisms, and ensuring that ViewState data is properly encrypted and authenticated. Additional protective measures include implementing strict session management policies, monitoring for unusual ViewState patterns, and applying application-level controls that validate the integrity of state information. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious ViewState manipulation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper cryptographic implementation in web application frameworks and highlights the risks associated with legacy systems that may not receive ongoing security updates or patches. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their ASP.NET applications to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in their web application infrastructure.