CVE-2006-0724 in Magic News Lite
Summary
by MITRE
profile.php in Reamday Enterprises Magic News Lite 1.2.3, when register_globals is enabled, allows remote attackers to modify program behavior, potentially bypassing authentication controls, via modified (1) action, (2) passwd, (3) admin_password, (4) new_passwd, and (5) confirm_passwd variables, which are not initialized.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0724 resides within the profile.php script of Reamday Enterprises Magic News Lite version 1.2.3, representing a critical security flaw that exploits improper input validation and variable handling mechanisms. This issue specifically manifests when the PHP configuration parameter register_globals is enabled, a deprecated feature that automatically creates global variables from request data. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper variable initialization for several critical parameters including action, passwd, admin_password, new_passwd, and confirm_passwd, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate application behavior through crafted HTTP requests.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages the dangerous practice of register_globals, which was deprecated due to its inherent security risks and has been removed from modern PHP versions. When this setting is enabled, any GET or POST parameters sent to the application automatically become accessible as global variables within the script's scope. Attackers can manipulate these parameters to alter the execution flow of the profile.php script, potentially bypassing authentication mechanisms that rely on proper variable initialization. The flaw specifically targets the modification of authentication-related variables, allowing unauthorized users to assume administrative privileges or modify user credentials without proper authorization.
This vulnerability creates significant operational impact by enabling privilege escalation attacks and unauthorized access to administrative functions. The potential for bypassing authentication controls means that remote attackers could gain full administrative access to the Magic News Lite application, compromising the entire system. The lack of proper input sanitization and variable initialization creates a persistent threat vector that remains active as long as register_globals remains enabled on the server. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-15, which describes improper initialization of variables, and represents a classic example of how deprecated PHP configurations can create security holes that persist in legacy applications.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical skill and can be accomplished through simple HTTP request manipulation, making it particularly dangerous for systems where register_globals remains enabled. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability exemplifies the broader category of injection flaws that have been addressed through improved input validation and the elimination of dangerous PHP configurations. Organizations should immediately disable register_globals on all systems and implement proper variable initialization practices to prevent similar issues from occurring in other applications. The remediation strategy involves ensuring that all variables are explicitly initialized before use and that applications do not rely on deprecated PHP features that create security risks through automatic variable creation from user input. This vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of following security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation through authentication bypass mechanisms.