CVE-2005-4856 in eZ publish
Summary
by MITRE
The admin interface in eZ publish 3.5 before 3.5.7, 3.6 before 3.6.5, 3.7 before 3.7.3, and 3.8 before 20051110 does not properly handle authorization errors, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information and see the admin pagelayout and associated templates via a request with (1) "anything after the url" or (2) a "wrong url".
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/31/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4856 represents a critical authorization bypass flaw in the eZ publish content management system that affects multiple version ranges including 3.5 before 3.5.7, 3.6 before 3.6.5, 3.7 before 3.7.3, and 3.8 before 20051110. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and improper error handling within the administrative interface components of the platform. The vulnerability specifically targets the system's authorization mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized access to administrative functions and sensitive system information.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through two primary vectors that leverage the system's failure to properly validate URL parameters and handle authorization errors. Attackers can manipulate URLs by appending arbitrary content after the target URL or by requesting non-existent URLs within the administrative interface. This misconfiguration allows the system to inadvertently reveal administrative page layouts, associated template files, and other sensitive information that should only be accessible to authorized administrators. The flaw essentially creates a pathway where the system's normal access control mechanisms are bypassed, exposing internal system structures and potentially sensitive configuration data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with detailed insights into the administrative interface structure and potentially exposes template files that could be used for further exploitation. This information disclosure can facilitate more sophisticated attacks by revealing internal system components, file structures, and potentially sensitive data that could be leveraged for privilege escalation or additional exploitation techniques. The vulnerability essentially undermines the fundamental security principle of least privilege by allowing unauthorized access to administrative resources through simple URL manipulation.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses improper output neutralization for logs, and CWE-352, which covers cross-site request forgery, as the authorization bypass creates conditions where attackers can access administrative resources without proper authentication. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1068, which involves exploiting legitimate credentials, and T1566, which covers credential harvesting through various attack vectors. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate patches to versions 3.5.7, 3.6.5, 3.7.3, and 20051110 respectively, while also reviewing their administrative interface configurations to ensure proper input validation and error handling mechanisms are in place. Network segmentation and access control measures should be enhanced to limit exposure of administrative interfaces to trusted networks only, while regular security audits should verify that authorization mechanisms function correctly across all system components.