CVE-2006-2116 in planetGallery
Summary
by MITRE
planetGallery allows remote attackers to gain administrator privileges via a direct request to admin/gallery_admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/11/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-2116 represents a critical access control flaw in the planetGallery web application that enables remote attackers to escalate their privileges from regular user to administrator level. This vulnerability exists due to insufficient authentication and authorization checks within the application's administrative interface, specifically in the gallery_admin.php component. The flaw allows attackers to bypass normal user authentication mechanisms and directly access administrative functions without proper verification of their privileges.
This type of vulnerability falls under the category of improper access control as defined by CWE-285, where the application fails to properly enforce authorization checks for privileged operations. The issue stems from the application's design where administrative functionality is exposed without adequate security controls, creating an attack surface that allows unauthorized access to sensitive administrative features. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables remote exploitation without requiring any prior authentication credentials or session tokens, making it accessible to anyone who can reach the affected web application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows attackers to gain complete administrative control over the planetGallery application. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can perform any administrative action including but not limited to modifying gallery configurations, adding or removing users, accessing sensitive data, uploading malicious files, and potentially using the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the network. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers do not need physical access to the system or any local network presence, significantly increasing the attack surface and potential impact.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation and initial access through web application exploitation. The attack pattern follows the typical methodology of identifying exposed administrative interfaces and exploiting authentication bypass flaws. Organizations using planetGallery or similar applications should immediately implement mitigations including restricting access to administrative endpoints through network segmentation, implementing proper authentication controls, and ensuring that administrative interfaces are not directly accessible from untrusted networks. Additionally, regular security audits and input validation checks should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application stack. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation and the necessity of following security best practices such as the principle of least privilege and defense in depth strategies.