CVE-2005-3005 in Hesk
Summary
by MITRE
Helpdesk Software Hesk allows remote attackers to bypass authentication for (1) admin.php and (2) admin_main.php by modifying the PHPSESSID session ID parameter or cookie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-3005 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in Helpdesk Software Hesk version 1.0. This issue stems from improper session management mechanisms that fail to validate session integrity and authorization levels within the application's administrative interface. The vulnerability specifically affects two key administrative endpoints: admin.php and admin_main.php, which are essential components for managing the helpdesk system's core functionalities.
The technical implementation of this flaw allows remote attackers to manipulate the PHPSESSID parameter either through URL modification or cookie manipulation to gain unauthorized administrative access. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-613, which addresses insufficient session expiration and improper session management. The flaw occurs because the application does not properly validate whether the session identifier corresponds to a legitimate administrative user account, instead relying on the presence of a session cookie without verifying the associated privileges or session state.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the helpdesk system. Once authenticated, attackers can modify system configurations, access sensitive customer data, manipulate support tickets, and potentially escalate privileges further within the network. This authentication bypass can be executed entirely remotely without requiring any valid credentials, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that handle sensitive information. The vulnerability affects the application's fundamental security model by allowing session hijacking attacks to be leveraged for privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper session validation mechanisms and ensuring that session identifiers are properly authenticated before granting administrative privileges. Security measures include implementing session regeneration upon login, validating session integrity through server-side checks, and ensuring that administrative endpoints perform robust authorization verification. Organizations should also implement proper input validation to prevent parameter manipulation and consider implementing additional security controls such as IP address monitoring and session timeout mechanisms. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers credential access through session hijacking and manipulation. The fix requires developers to ensure that session management follows secure coding practices and that all administrative access points verify both session existence and proper authorization levels before granting access to sensitive functionality.