CVE-2006-4584 in Tr Forum
Summary
by MITRE
Tr Forum 2.0 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and add an administrative account via the login and password parameters to admin/insert_admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/14/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-4584 affects Tr Forum 2.0, a web-based discussion platform that suffers from a critical authentication bypass flaw. This issue resides in the administrative account creation functionality, specifically within the admin/insert_admin.php script which processes login and password parameters. The flaw represents a classic case of improper input validation and authentication handling that fundamentally undermines the security posture of the affected system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization and validation of user-supplied parameters in the administrative account creation endpoint. Attackers can exploit this weakness by directly manipulating the login and password parameters sent to the admin/insert_admin.php script, effectively circumventing the normal authentication mechanisms. This allows unauthorized individuals to create administrative accounts with full system privileges without proper authorization. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and more specifically to CWE-352 which covers cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities that can lead to unauthorized administrative actions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations using Tr Forum 2.0 as it provides attackers with immediate administrative access to the entire forum system. Once exploited, attackers can manipulate forum content, delete user accounts, modify permissions, and potentially use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the network. The impact extends beyond simple data compromise as the attacker gains complete control over the administrative interface, enabling them to modify system configurations, install malicious code, or establish persistent access. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts usage, and T1566 which covers credential harvesting through social engineering or direct exploitation of authentication flaws.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate patching of the Tr Forum 2.0 software to address the input validation issues in the admin/insert_admin.php script. Organizations should implement proper parameter validation, input sanitization, and authentication controls to prevent unauthorized administrative account creation. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of administrative endpoints. The fix should include proper authorization checks, CSRF protection mechanisms, and input parameter validation that prevents direct manipulation of administrative functions. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual administrative account creation patterns, and regular security audits should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the system architecture.