CVE-2005-2489 in Web Content Management News System
Summary
by MITRE
Web Content Management News System allows remote attackers to create arbitrary accounts and gain privileges via a direct request to Admin/Users/AddModifyInput.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2489 resides within a Web Content Management News System that suffers from inadequate access control mechanisms. This flaw enables remote attackers to bypass authentication and authorization procedures by directly accessing the Admin/Users/AddModifyInput.php endpoint. The system fails to implement proper session validation or privilege checks before allowing user account creation and privilege escalation operations. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability without requiring legitimate credentials or prior access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that handle sensitive content management functions.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper input validation and access control enforcement within the administrative user management interface. The AddModifyInput.php script operates without verifying whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to create new accounts or modify existing user permissions. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks that aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker crafts a direct HTTP request to the administrative endpoint, potentially leveraging the system's trust in internal processes without proper authentication verification.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations relying on the affected web content management system. Remote attackers can gain unauthorized administrative access to create accounts with elevated privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The impact extends beyond simple account creation, as attackers can modify user permissions, access confidential content, and manipulate the entire content management structure. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through unauthorized access to administrative functions. The attack vector requires minimal reconnaissance and can be executed through automated tools, making it particularly attractive to malicious actors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2489 should focus on implementing robust access control mechanisms throughout the application. Organizations must ensure that all administrative endpoints require proper authentication and authorization checks before processing user account modifications. The system should enforce session validation and privilege verification for every administrative request, implementing role-based access control to restrict operations based on user permissions. Additionally, input validation should be strengthened to prevent unauthorized access attempts, and all administrative interfaces should be protected through proper authentication mechanisms including multi-factor authentication where possible. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection to monitor and block unauthorized access attempts to administrative endpoints. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar authorization flaws in other system components.