CVE-2005-4653 in AL-Caricatier
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in ss.php in AL-Caricatier 2.5 and earlier allows remote attackers to bypass login authentication by requesting view_caricatier.php, and then requesting any file in the admin directory with a cookie_username=admin argument.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4653 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in AL-Caricatier version 2.5 and earlier, specifically affecting the ss.php component within the application's administrative interface. This issue stems from inadequate session management and authentication controls that permit unauthorized access to protected administrative functions through manipulated HTTP requests. The vulnerability operates by exploiting the application's failure to properly validate user credentials during the authentication process, creating a pathway for remote attackers to assume administrative privileges without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a specific sequence of HTTP requests that manipulate the application's session handling mechanism. Attackers can first access the view_caricatier.php endpoint and subsequently make requests to any file within the admin directory while including a cookie_username=admin parameter in their requests. This manipulation effectively tricks the application into accepting the attacker's request as legitimate administrative access, bypassing the normal authentication checks that should occur when attempting to access protected administrative resources. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of insufficient input validation and session management, where the application fails to properly verify the authenticity of user sessions before granting access to privileged functions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability exposes organizations running affected versions of AL-Caricatier to significant security risks including complete system compromise, data theft, unauthorized modifications to content, and potential lateral movement within network environments. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target system or knowledge of valid credentials. This authentication bypass allows attackers to gain full administrative control over the affected web application, potentially enabling them to modify or delete content, access sensitive user data, and manipulate the application's functionality in ways that could severely impact business operations and customer trust.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software applications, and represents a clear violation of proper access control mechanisms. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability would map to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, though the specific technique here involves session manipulation rather than traditional credential theft. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to the latest version of AL-Caricatier that addresses this vulnerability, implementing proper session management controls, and establishing robust monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns. Additionally, network segmentation and web application firewalls should be deployed to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper authentication design and the need for comprehensive security testing of web applications before deployment to production environments.