CVE-2005-4801 in YaPIG
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Yet Another PHP Image Gallery (YaPIG) 0.95b and earlier allow remote attackers to perform unauthorized actions as a logged-in user, as demonstrated by tricking the administrator to access a web page that performs a mod_info action in modify_gallery.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4801 affects Yet Another PHP Image Gallery version 0.95b and earlier, representing a critical cross-site request forgery flaw that compromises user session integrity and authorization mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated users into executing unintended actions within the application without their knowledge or consent, fundamentally undermining the security model of the web application.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper request validation mechanisms within the modify_gallery.php script. When an administrator accesses a malicious web page, the attacker can craft a request that automatically submits a mod_info action to the vulnerable gallery system. This occurs because the application fails to verify the origin of requests or implement anti-CSRF tokens that would ensure requests originate from legitimate sources within the application. The vulnerability specifically targets the administrative functionality of the gallery, making it particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to modify gallery configurations and potentially gain unauthorized control over the image management system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform administrative actions that could compromise the entire gallery system. An attacker could modify gallery settings, delete images, alter user permissions, or potentially gain access to sensitive configuration data. The attack vector relies on social engineering techniques where administrators are tricked into visiting malicious websites, making it particularly challenging to defend against as it exploits human factors alongside technical weaknesses. This vulnerability represents a significant risk to organizations relying on YaPIG for image management, as it can lead to complete system compromise through unauthorized administrative access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-4801 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the application. The most effective approach involves implementing unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that must be validated before processing any privileged actions. Additionally, the application should verify the referer header and implement strict origin validation to ensure requests originate from legitimate sources within the application. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and other web application firewall protections to detect and prevent unauthorized requests. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper session management and request validation in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1548.002 for privilege escalation through unauthorized administrative actions. Regular security updates and patch management are essential to address such vulnerabilities in legacy systems, as the original version affected by this vulnerability represents an outdated release that lacks modern security protections.