CVE-2005-2038 in Fortibus CMS
Summary
by MITRE
Fortibus CMS 4.0.0 allows remote attackers to modify information of other users, including Admin, via the "My info" page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-2038 represents a critical access control flaw within the Fortibus CMS 4.0.0 content management system that enables unauthorized remote attackers to manipulate user information across the platform. This security weakness specifically targets the "My info" page functionality, which should logically only permit users to modify their own personal details but instead allows malicious actors to access and alter the profiles of other users including administrative accounts. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient authorization checks within the application's user management interface, creating a path for privilege escalation and unauthorized data modification.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and falls under the broader category of access control violations that have been consistently identified as one of the most prevalent security weaknesses in web applications. The attack vector leverages the lack of proper session management and user privilege verification mechanisms, allowing remote exploitation without requiring authentication credentials for the target user accounts. The implications extend beyond simple data modification as attackers can potentially alter administrative user details, change permissions, or even gain elevated privileges by manipulating account attributes that control system access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it undermines the fundamental security model of the CMS system and compromises user trust. Attackers can exploit this flaw to impersonate legitimate users, modify user roles and permissions, or alter critical account information such as email addresses, passwords, or access credentials. The ability to modify administrative accounts poses particular risk as it could lead to complete system compromise, unauthorized data access, or the ability to establish persistent backdoors within the CMS infrastructure. This vulnerability effectively weakens the authentication and authorization controls that are essential for maintaining system integrity and user data confidentiality.
Organizations utilizing Fortibus CMS 4.0.0 should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive input validation, robust session management protocols, and mandatory authorization checks for all user profile modification requests. The system should enforce strict access controls that validate user identity and permissions before allowing any modifications to user information, regardless of the originating page or interface. Security patches or updates should be applied immediately to address the root cause of the vulnerability, and network segmentation should be implemented to limit exposure. Additionally, administrators should conduct thorough security audits of user management interfaces and implement logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts to user information pages, aligning with best practices outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for credential access and privilege escalation techniques.