CVE-2005-2059 in UBB.Threads
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in (1) addaddress.php, (2) toggleignore.php, (3) removeignore.php, and (4) removeaddress.php in Infopop UBB.Threads before 6.5.2 Beta allow remote attackers to modify settings as another user via a link or IMG tag.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/14/2019
The CVE-2005-2059 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Infopop UBB.Threads versions prior to 6.5.2 Beta. This vulnerability manifests across four distinct PHP scripts including addaddress php toggleignore php removeignore php and removeaddress php which collectively handle user account management and address configuration functions within the forum software. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate user settings and perform unauthorized actions by crafting malicious links or embedding IMG tags that automatically execute commands on behalf of authenticated users.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352 Cross-Site Request Forgery which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness where the application fails to validate the origin of requests. The technical implementation flaw occurs because the affected scripts do not implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms such as token validation or referer header checking. When a user visits a malicious webpage containing crafted links or IMG tags, the browser automatically submits requests to the vulnerable UBB.Threads application using the user's existing authentication context, effectively executing unauthorized operations without the user's knowledge or consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows attackers to perform a range of malicious actions including adding new email addresses to user accounts, toggling ignore lists, and removing existing addresses from user profiles. These modifications can lead to account compromise, unauthorized access to user communications, and potential data exfiltration. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to hijack user accounts, redirect email notifications, or create persistent access points within the forum environment. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no special privileges or credentials from the attacker beyond the ability to deliver malicious content to a target user.
From a threat modeling perspective this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 Lateral Movement through compromised credentials and T1078 Valid Accounts which can be achieved through session hijacking and unauthorized account manipulation. The exploitation process typically involves crafting malicious web pages that contain hidden form submissions or IMG tags pointing to the vulnerable endpoints. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper CSRF protection mechanisms including unique tokens for each user session, proper validation of request origins, and consistent application of security controls across all user-facing application endpoints. The vulnerability underscores the necessity of regular security assessments and timely patch management to prevent exploitation of known weaknesses in web applications. Organizations using UBB.Threads should immediately upgrade to version 6.5.2 Beta or later to remediate this vulnerability and implement additional monitoring for suspicious user activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.