CVE-2005-2203 in phpWishlist
Summary
by MITRE
login.php in phpWishlist before 0.1.15 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication via a direct request to admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2203 affects phpWishlist version 0.1.14 and earlier, presenting a critical authentication bypass flaw that undermines the security posture of web applications relying on this software. This issue resides within the login.php script and enables remote attackers to circumvent the intended authentication mechanism by directly accessing the admin.php endpoint. The flaw represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's access control implementation, where proper session validation and authentication checks are bypassed through direct URL manipulation. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient authorization controls within the application's request handling logic.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a direct HTTP request to the admin.php file without first passing through the login.php authentication flow. This allows unauthorized users to gain administrative access to the application's backend management interface. The flaw demonstrates poor separation of concerns in the application architecture, where the authentication state is not properly validated before granting access to privileged administrative functions. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of insecure direct object references as outlined in CWE-639, where the application fails to verify that the user has proper authorization to access specific resources.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using phpWishlist, as it enables complete administrative control over the application's functionality. Attackers can manipulate wishlist data, modify user accounts, access sensitive information, and potentially use the compromised system as a foothold for further attacks within the network. The impact extends beyond immediate data compromise, as the attacker can leverage the administrative privileges to install malicious code, modify application behavior, or establish persistent access. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under credential access and privilege escalation techniques, where attackers exploit application flaws to gain elevated privileges.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate patching of the phpWishlist application to version 0.1.15 or later, which contains the necessary authentication checks and access control improvements. Organizations should implement proper session management controls, including secure session handling, proper authentication state validation, and robust input sanitization. Additionally, network-level protections such as web application firewalls can help detect and block direct access attempts to administrative endpoints. The implementation of proper access control lists and role-based permissions ensures that only authenticated users with appropriate privileges can access administrative functions, preventing the type of direct object reference exploitation that characterizes this vulnerability. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar authentication bypass flaws in other web applications within the organization's infrastructure.