CVE-2005-2168 in Plague News System
Summary
by MITRE
delete.php in Plague News System 0.6 and earlier allows remote unauthenticated attackers to delete news, comments, and shoutbox posts by modifying the id parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/24/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2168 affects Plague News System version 0.6 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw in the delete.php script that enables remote unauthenticated attackers to manipulate the system's content management functionality. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and authentication mechanisms within the application's deletion process, creating an avenue for unauthorized users to compromise the integrity of news articles, user comments, and shoutbox posts. The vulnerability specifically exploits the id parameter handling within the delete.php endpoint, allowing attackers to modify this parameter and execute deletion operations without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the application's failure to validate user credentials or verify access permissions before processing deletion requests. When an attacker constructs a malicious request with a modified id parameter, the system processes the deletion operation without requiring authentication or authorization checks. This represents a classic case of insufficient access control and input sanitization, where the application assumes all requests containing a valid id parameter are legitimate. The flaw operates at the application logic level, specifically in the parameter processing and validation phases of the delete functionality, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses normal security mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized modifications to system content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for system integrity and data availability. Attackers can systematically delete news articles, user-generated comments, and shoutbox posts, potentially causing reputational damage, loss of user engagement, and disruption of information flow within the system. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any remote user can exploit this flaw without requiring legitimate credentials, making it particularly dangerous for public-facing applications. The impact extends beyond simple data deletion, as the compromise of user-generated content can undermine community trust and the overall credibility of the information platform. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in system security design.
The exploitation of this vulnerability can be achieved through simple HTTP requests or web-based attack tools that modify the id parameter in the delete.php script calls. Security researchers and attackers alike can leverage this flaw to demonstrate the ease of compromising content management systems that lack proper authentication verification. The implications for organizations using vulnerable versions of Plague News System are severe, as this vulnerability can be exploited as part of broader attack campaigns targeting web applications. Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of authentication requirements for all content deletion operations, proper input validation of id parameters, and comprehensive access control mechanisms that verify user permissions before executing destructive operations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper authorization checks as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, which emphasize the critical need for proper access control implementations to prevent unauthorized system modifications.