CVE-2005-2596 in postnuke
Summary
by MITRE
user.php in gallery as used in postnuke allows users with any admin privileges to gain access to all galleries.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-2596 represents a critical access control flaw within the gallery module of the PostNuke content management system. This issue specifically affects the user.php script which handles administrative functions within the gallery component. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authorization checks that allow any user possessing even minimal administrative privileges to escalate their access rights and gain unrestricted access to all galleries within the system. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege and role-based access control mechanisms that should normally prevent unauthorized access to sensitive system resources.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves a lack of proper privilege validation within the gallery module's administrative interface. When users with limited admin rights attempt to access gallery management functions, the system fails to verify whether these users possess the necessary permissions to access all galleries rather than just those they are authorized to manage. This oversight creates a path for privilege escalation where users can bypass normal access controls and gain full administrative access to the entire gallery repository. The vulnerability operates at the application logic level and demonstrates poor input validation and access control implementation practices.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using PostNuke systems with gallery modules. Attackers could exploit this flaw to access sensitive photographic content, manipulate gallery configurations, modify or delete gallery data, and potentially use the compromised galleries as a staging area for further attacks. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure to include potential system compromise through the gallery module's integration with other system components. Organizations may face regulatory compliance violations, data breaches, and reputational damage when such vulnerabilities are exploited in production environments.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues in software applications. This classification specifically covers situations where applications fail to properly enforce access restrictions, allowing unauthorized users to access protected resources. Additionally, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which deals with valid accounts and privilege escalation through compromised administrative access. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including patching the affected PostNuke installation, implementing proper access control measures, and conducting thorough security audits of all administrative interfaces. Regular security testing and monitoring of administrative access logs should also be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper access control implementation and the need for comprehensive security testing of administrative functions within web applications.