CVE-2005-4373 in Adaptive Website Framework
Summary
by MITRE
Adaptive Website Framework (AWF) 2.10 and earlier allows remote attackers to obtain the full path of the application via an invalid mode parameter to community.html, which leaks the path in an error message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/06/2017
The Adaptive Website Framework version 2.10 and earlier contains a critical information disclosure vulnerability that exposes the application's full file system path to remote attackers. This vulnerability resides in the community.html script where the framework fails to properly validate or sanitize user input parameters, specifically the mode parameter. When an attacker submits an invalid mode parameter to the community.html endpoint, the application generates an error message that inadvertently reveals the complete server path where the application is installed. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure, where sensitive system information is exposed through error handling mechanisms that are not properly secured.
The technical flaw in this vulnerability stems from improper error handling and input validation within the Adaptive Website Framework's parameter processing logic. The framework does not implement adequate sanitization of user-supplied input before processing it, allowing maliciously crafted parameters to trigger error conditions that disclose system paths. This represents a classic example of insecure error handling where error messages contain sensitive information about the system's internal structure. According to CWE guidelines, this vulnerability maps to CWE-209, which specifically addresses the improper handling of error messages that may reveal sensitive information about the system environment. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it provides attackers with precise knowledge of the application's directory structure, which can be leveraged for further exploitation attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it significantly aids attackers in planning more sophisticated attacks against the affected system. Once an attacker obtains the full application path, they can use this information to craft more targeted attacks such as directory traversal exploits, file inclusion vulnerabilities, or to understand the system's file structure for privilege escalation attempts. The exposure of the application's root path creates a foundation for advanced exploitation techniques that would otherwise be difficult to achieve without this information. This vulnerability can be categorized under the ATT&CK technique T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) as it enables adversaries to discover system file paths and structures. The presence of such information disclosure vulnerabilities also increases the attack surface and can lead to cascading security issues if the application path reveals other system details or if the path includes sensitive directory structures.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and error handling procedures within the Adaptive Website Framework. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied parameters are properly validated and sanitized before processing, with error messages that do not contain system path information or other sensitive details. The framework should be updated to version 2.11 or later, which includes patches specifically addressing this information disclosure issue. Additionally, implementing proper error handling that generates generic error messages without system-specific details, combined with comprehensive logging of suspicious activities, can help prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar issues in other components of the application stack, as this type of vulnerability often indicates broader security weaknesses in the application's architecture and error handling mechanisms.