CVE-2006-1838 in Fuju News
Summary
by MITRE
edit_kategorie.php in Fuju News 1.0 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by setting the authorized cookie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-1838 resides within the Fuju News 1.0 content management system where the edit_kategorie.php script fails to properly validate authentication mechanisms. This flaw represents a classic authentication bypass vulnerability that allows remote attackers to gain unauthorized administrative access to the system by manipulating cookie values. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and improper session management within the application's authentication framework.
This authentication bypass occurs due to the application's reliance on a single cookie parameter named authorized to determine user privileges. The flaw manifests when an attacker can simply set this cookie value to a predetermined string that grants administrative access, effectively circumventing the normal authentication process. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in authentication mechanisms and aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication vulnerabilities. The attack vector is particularly dangerous as it requires no valid credentials and can be executed remotely without any local system access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides complete administrative control over the Fuju News 1.0 system. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can modify or delete content, add new users, change system configurations, and potentially access sensitive data stored within the application. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the entire system as it allows unauthorized modification of the news content management interface. From an attacker's perspective this represents a critical privilege escalation opportunity that can lead to full system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper authentication validation mechanisms and removing reliance on client-side cookie manipulation for access control decisions. The system should enforce server-side validation of user credentials and implement proper session management with secure cookie attributes including HttpOnly and Secure flags. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and credential access. Organizations should implement proper input sanitization, utilize secure authentication frameworks, and conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in their applications. The fix requires modifying the edit_kategorie.php script to properly validate user authentication before granting access to administrative functions and ensuring that cookie values cannot be manipulated to bypass security controls.