CVE-2006-3272 in Some Chess
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in menu.php in Some Chess 1.5 rc2 allows remote attackers to conduct actions as another user, such as changing usernames and passwords, via unspecified vectors. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2017
The CVE-2006-3272 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw identified in the Some Chess 1.5 rc2 web application, specifically within the menu.php component. This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery as a fundamental web application security weakness. The vulnerability enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated sessions and execute unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms within the menu.php script. When users navigate to the chess application and maintain authenticated sessions, the application fails to validate the origin of requests or implement unique tokens that would verify the authenticity of user-initiated actions. This omission creates a pathway for attackers to craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated user, appear legitimate to the web application's security mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically allows attackers to perform actions such as changing usernames and passwords, which directly compromises user accounts and potentially leads to complete account takeover scenarios.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking, as it enables attackers to manipulate user accounts and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive user data. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the attack could be executed through various means including malicious web pages, email attachments, or compromised websites that trick users into performing unintended actions. This vulnerability particularly affects web applications that rely on cookie-based authentication without implementing additional CSRF protection measures, making it a common issue in legacy web applications from the mid-2000s era.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK framework's technique T1566, which covers credential access through social engineering and manipulation of web applications. The attack vector typically involves tricking users into clicking malicious links or visiting compromised websites that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable application. Organizations should implement comprehensive CSRF protection mechanisms including the use of anti-CSRF tokens, proper origin validation, and implementing the SameSite cookie attributes to prevent such attacks. The remediation process involves adding unique, unpredictable tokens to all state-changing requests and validating these tokens server-side to ensure that requests originate from legitimate user interactions rather than maliciously crafted requests from external domains.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper session management and request validation in web applications, particularly those handling user authentication and account management functions. The lack of CSRF protection in the Some Chess application highlights the common oversight in legacy systems where security considerations were not adequately integrated during the development lifecycle. Modern web application security practices mandate the inclusion of CSRF protection as a fundamental component of secure coding practices, making this vulnerability a prime example of why organizations must maintain rigorous security protocols and regularly audit their applications for such fundamental flaws.