CVE-2005-2320 in WebCalendar
Summary
by MITRE
WebCalendar before 1.0.0 does not properly restrict access to assistant_edit.php, which allows remote attackers to gain privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2320 affects WebCalendar versions prior to 1.0.0 and represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the application's security model. This issue resides within the assistant_edit.php script which fails to implement proper authentication and authorization checks, creating a pathway for unauthenticated attackers to escalate their privileges within the web calendar system. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture where sensitive administrative functions remain accessible to unauthorized users without proper verification of their credentials or role-based permissions.
The technical implementation of this flaw stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the WebCalendar application's privilege management system. When users attempt to access the assistant_edit.php endpoint, the application does not perform sufficient checks to verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges required to modify assistant configurations. This oversight allows remote attackers to exploit the vulnerability by directly accessing the script without proper authentication, effectively bypassing the intended security controls that should restrict access to privileged functions. The flaw operates at the application logic level, where the authorization flow is completely absent or insufficiently implemented, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from any network location without requiring prior access to the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to potentially modify critical calendar configurations and assistant settings that could affect system integrity and availability. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain administrative privileges within the calendar application, potentially allowing them to modify user accounts, adjust calendar permissions, or even inject malicious content into the system. This privilege escalation capability aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation category, specifically targeting the application's access control mechanisms. The vulnerability also relates to CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization issues, where the application fails to properly enforce access control policies for privileged functions.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to WebCalendar version 1.0.0 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper access control implementation. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level controls such as firewall rules that restrict access to administrative endpoints, though this represents a temporary workaround rather than a permanent solution. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include proper input validation, authentication checks, and access control enforcement. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar access control flaws that may exist in other parts of the application or related systems. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to monitor and filter requests to sensitive endpoints, providing an additional layer of protection against exploitation attempts. The incident underscores the critical need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent such fundamental access control failures from reaching production environments.