CVE-2005-2881 in phpCommunityCalendar
Summary
by MITRE
phpCommunityCalendar 4.0.3 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access via a direct request to the admin directory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2881 affects phpCommunityCalendar version 4.0.3, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that enables remote attackers to gain unauthorized administrative access to the calendar application. This issue stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within the application's directory structure, specifically failing to properly validate user credentials before granting access to administrative functions. The vulnerability exists due to the application's failure to implement proper authorization checks when processing requests directed to the admin directory, creating an exploitable pathway for malicious actors to bypass the standard authentication process. The flaw allows attackers to directly access administrative interfaces without providing valid credentials, effectively undermining the entire authentication framework of the application.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers legitimate credentials usage through unauthorized access. The technical implementation flaw occurs at the application layer where the web server fails to enforce proper access controls when processing requests to the admin directory. Attackers can exploit this by simply navigating to the admin directory URL without authentication, bypassing all security measures that should normally be in place to verify user identity and privileges. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core administrative functionality of the calendar application, potentially allowing attackers to modify calendar entries, add or remove users, change system configurations, and access sensitive data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the affected phpCommunityCalendar installation. This level of access enables malicious actors to perform various harmful activities including data manipulation, privilege escalation, and potential system compromise. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or local network connectivity to exploit it, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible web applications. Organizations using this vulnerable version of phpCommunityCalendar face significant risk of unauthorized data modification, potential data breaches, and complete system takeover. The impact is further amplified by the fact that the vulnerability affects the administrative interface, which typically contains the most sensitive functionality within the application.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address the core authentication bypass issue through multiple layers of security controls. The most effective immediate solution involves applying the vendor-provided security patch or upgrading to a non-vulnerable version of phpCommunityCalendar. Organizations should also implement network-level restrictions to limit access to administrative directories, such as implementing ip-based access controls or requiring secure vpn connections for administrative access. Additional defensive measures include implementing proper input validation and access control checks at the application level, ensuring that all requests to administrative functions are properly authenticated and authorized. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to administrative directories, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. The remediation process should also include reviewing and updating access control policies to ensure that administrative functions are properly protected against unauthorized access attempts.