CVE-2005-2219 in hosting controller
Summary
by MITRE
hosting controller 6.1 hotfix 2.1 allows remote authenticated users to perform unauthorized actions such as modifying the credit limit via a direct request to accountactions.asp and modifying the creditlimit parameter in an updatecreditlimit action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-2219 represents a critical authorization flaw in hosting controller software version 6.1 with hotfix 2.1. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the web application's account management functionality. The vulnerability specifically affects the accountactions.asp component which processes administrative operations related to user account management. Remote authenticated users can exploit this weakness by crafting direct HTTP requests to manipulate account parameters without proper authorization checks.
The technical flaw manifests as a lack of proper authentication and authorization validation when processing requests to the accountactions.asp endpoint. When users submit requests containing the updatecreditlimit action with modified creditlimit parameter values, the system fails to verify whether the requesting user possesses adequate privileges to perform such modifications. This authorization bypass allows attackers who have gained legitimate authentication credentials to escalate their privileges and modify credit limits for other user accounts. The vulnerability is classified as a privilege escalation issue under CWE-284 which specifically addresses improper access control mechanisms in software applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credit limit modifications to potentially compromise the entire financial integrity of the hosting platform. Attackers can manipulate user credit limits to either artificially inflate accounts for unauthorized access to services or reduce limits to block legitimate users from accessing their services. This creates a significant risk for hosting providers who rely on accurate credit management for billing and service provisioning. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only authenticated access, meaning that attackers who have obtained valid user credentials can exploit this weakness without needing additional privileges or sophisticated attack vectors.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials and privilege escalation. The attack scenario typically involves an attacker who has already obtained valid user credentials through various means such as credential theft, phishing, or compromised accounts. Once authenticated, the attacker can leverage this vulnerability to perform unauthorized account modifications that could lead to financial loss, service disruption, or further compromise of the hosting infrastructure. The impact is compounded by the fact that hosting controllers often manage multiple customer accounts, making the potential damage scale across numerous user records.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation and access control mechanisms within the hosting controller application. The primary remediation involves adding comprehensive authorization checks before processing any account modification requests through accountactions.asp. This includes verifying that the authenticated user has explicit permissions to modify the target account's credit limit and implementing proper session management controls. Additionally, the application should enforce principle of least privilege where users can only perform actions commensurate with their assigned roles and permissions. The system should also implement proper logging and monitoring of account modification activities to detect unauthorized access attempts and provide audit trails for security investigations. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input sanitization measures to prevent malformed requests from reaching the vulnerable endpoint.