CVE-2005-3974 in Drupal
Summary
by MITRE
Drupal 4.5.0 through 4.5.5 and 4.6.0 through 4.6.3, when running on PHP5, does not correctly enforce user privileges, which allows remote attackers to bypass the "access user profiles" permission.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2019
This vulnerability affects Drupal content management systems versions 4.5.0 through 4.5.5 and 4.6.0 through 4.6.3 when operating under PHP5 environments. The core issue lies in the improper enforcement of user privileges within the application's access control mechanisms. Specifically, the system fails to properly validate user permissions when attempting to access user profiles, creating a security bypass that allows unauthorized remote attackers to view user profile information that should be restricted to authorized users only. This flaw represents a critical weakness in the application's authorization framework and directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and access control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from how Drupal handles permission checks during user profile access operations. When PHP5 executes the application code, the privilege validation logic does not adequately verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary "access user profiles" permission before granting access to profile data. This misconfiguration creates an opportunity for attackers to exploit the system by crafting specific requests that bypass the intended access controls, effectively allowing them to enumerate user information without proper authentication or authorization. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely without requiring any prior authentication credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables attackers to gather sensitive user data including usernames, email addresses, and potentially other profile information that could be used for further attacks. This information can facilitate social engineering campaigns, credential stuffing attacks, or targeted phishing attempts against users within the Drupal system. The vulnerability affects all users who have access to the affected Drupal installations, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where user profile information may contain confidential details. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and credential access phases, as it provides unauthorized access to user data that would normally be protected.
Organizations running affected Drupal versions should immediately implement mitigation strategies including upgrading to patched versions of the software, implementing additional access controls at the web server level, and monitoring for suspicious access patterns. The vulnerability maps to CWE-285, which specifically addresses improper authorization issues in software systems. Security administrators should also consider implementing network-level restrictions to limit access to user profile endpoints and ensure that all Drupal installations are regularly updated with the latest security patches. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their web applications to identify similar privilege enforcement weaknesses that could be exploited in other parts of their systems. The incident highlights the critical importance of proper access control implementation and demonstrates how seemingly minor flaws in permission handling can create significant security risks in content management systems.