CVE-2006-1228 in Drupal
Summary
by MITRE
Session fixation vulnerability in Drupal 4.5.x before 4.5.8 and 4.6.x before 4.5.8 allows remote attackers to gain privileges by tricking a user to click on a URL that fixes the session identifier.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-1228 represents a critical session fixation flaw affecting Drupal content management systems version 4.5.x before 4.5.8 and 4.6.x before 4.5.8. This issue falls under the CWE-384 category of Session Fixation, which is classified as a serious security weakness in web applications. The vulnerability enables remote attackers to exploit the session management mechanism by manipulating session identifiers, thereby potentially gaining unauthorized access to user accounts and elevated privileges. The flaw specifically targets the authentication flow where session identifiers are not properly regenerated after a successful login, creating an opportunity for attackers to hijack active sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when a user authenticates to a Drupal system, and the application fails to generate a new session identifier upon successful login. Instead, the system maintains the original session identifier that was established during the initial visit to the site. Attackers can exploit this by first obtaining a valid session identifier from a victim, either through social engineering, cross-site scripting attacks, or by directly manipulating session cookies. When the victim subsequently logs in, the system continues to use the previously established session identifier, allowing the attacker to maintain access to the victim's session and potentially execute privileged actions on their behalf. This vulnerability specifically leverages the predictable nature of session management in older Drupal versions where session regeneration was not properly enforced during the authentication process.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-1228 extends beyond simple session hijacking to encompass full account compromise and potential privilege escalation within the affected Drupal installations. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can access user accounts, modify content, delete information, and potentially gain administrative privileges if the compromised user has elevated permissions. The attack vector primarily involves tricking users into clicking malicious URLs that contain fixed session identifiers, making this a client-side manipulation attack that can be executed through various means including phishing campaigns, malicious links in emails, or compromised websites. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited without requiring any special privileges or advanced technical skills from the attacker, making it a significant concern for web applications relying on the affected Drupal versions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-1228 focus on implementing proper session management practices and upgrading to patched versions of the Drupal platform. The most effective immediate solution involves upgrading to Drupal 4.5.8 or 4.6.8, which contain the necessary fixes for session regeneration during authentication processes. Organizations should also implement session regeneration mechanisms that generate new session identifiers upon successful authentication, ensuring that session tokens are not predictable or reusable across different authentication contexts. Additional protective measures include implementing secure session cookie attributes such as HttpOnly and Secure flags, enforcing proper session timeout mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious session-related activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to credential access and session management manipulation, emphasizing the critical need for proper session handling in web applications.