CVE-2005-1954 in singapore
Summary
by MITRE
singapore 0.9.11 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a direct request to (1) admin.class.php, (2) any .tpl.php file in templates/admin_default/, or (3) any .tpl.php file in templates/default/, which reveal the path in an error message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1954 affects the singapore content management system version 0.9.11 and represents a critical information disclosure flaw that exposes system paths through error messages generated by specific administrative and template files. This vulnerability falls under the category of information exposure through error messages, which is classified as CWE-209 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient error handling mechanisms within the application's codebase, particularly in the administrative components and template processing modules.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers can directly access three specific file paths within the singapore application. The first target is admin.class.php which serves as the primary administrative class file, the second encompasses all .tpl.php files located within the templates/admin_default/ directory, and the third includes all .tpl.php files found in templates/default/. When these files encounter errors during processing or direct access, they generate error messages that inadvertently reveal the absolute file system paths of the server installation. This information disclosure occurs through the error reporting mechanisms that are not properly sanitized or suppressed in production environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with crucial system information that can be leveraged for further exploitation attempts. The revealed paths can expose the complete directory structure of the web server, including the root installation directory, which may contain sensitive information about the server configuration and file organization. This information disclosure creates a foundation for more sophisticated attacks, as attackers can use the exposed paths to craft targeted attacks against specific file locations or to understand the application's architecture better. The vulnerability essentially provides an attacker with a roadmap of the system's file structure, which is particularly dangerous in environments where multiple applications share the same server or where the application has access to sensitive data.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1083 - File and Directory Discovery, as it provides attackers with systematic access to directory structures through error messages. The vulnerability also relates to T1213 - Data from Information Repositories, as it exposes repository paths that may contain sensitive configuration files or database connection details. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability represents a classic example of poor input validation and error handling practices that have been consistently identified as critical weaknesses in web applications. The exposure of system paths through error messages is particularly concerning because it often occurs in production environments where error reporting is enabled for debugging purposes but not properly configured for security.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper error handling mechanisms that prevent sensitive system information from being exposed to end users or remote attackers. The recommended approach involves configuring the application to use generic error messages that do not reveal system paths or internal application structure details. This can be achieved through proper exception handling in the php code, implementing custom error pages that do not contain system path information, and ensuring that error reporting is appropriately configured in the php.ini settings. Additionally, administrators should implement proper access controls and input validation to prevent direct access to administrative and template files that could trigger the error conditions leading to path exposure. Regular security audits and code reviews should focus on identifying similar error handling patterns throughout the application codebase to prevent analogous vulnerabilities from being introduced in future development cycles.