CVE-2006-4717 in Drupal Pubcookie Module
Summary
by MITRE
The login redirection mechanism in the Drupal 4.7 Pubcookie module before 1.2.2.4 2006/09/06 and the Drupal 4.6 Pubcookie module before 1.6.2.1 2006/09/07 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication requirements and spoof identities of arbitrary users via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-4717 affects the Drupal content management system's Pubcookie authentication modules, specifically targeting versions prior to 1.2.2.4 for Drupal 4.7 and 1.6.2.1 for Drupal 4.6. This issue resides within the login redirection mechanism that handles user authentication and session management. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit weaknesses in the authentication flow, potentially allowing unauthorized access to systems that rely on Drupal's Pubcookie integration for user verification. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of authentication bypass and identity spoofing, representing a critical security weakness in web application frameworks that handle user access control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper validation and handling of authentication redirection parameters within the Pubcookie module's login flow. Attackers can manipulate the redirection vectors to bypass the normal authentication sequence, effectively allowing them to assume the identity of any user within the system. This typically occurs when the application fails to properly verify the legitimacy of redirect URLs or when it accepts user-controllable input without adequate sanitization. The vulnerability manifests as a failure in the authentication control flow, where the system does not adequately validate that the intended redirect target is legitimate and authorized for the user's current session state. This represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and improper access control enforcement, classified under CWE-285 for improper access control and CWE-20 for improper input validation.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-4717 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to impersonate legitimate users within the Drupal environment. This capability can lead to complete system compromise when combined with other vulnerabilities or when the compromised accounts have elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects organizations using Drupal 4.7 and 4.6 with Pubcookie integration, potentially exposing sensitive data, allowing content manipulation, and enabling further attacks on the underlying infrastructure. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain persistent access to systems, manipulate user sessions, and potentially escalate privileges within the application environment. The implications are particularly severe for organizations that depend on Pubcookie for single sign-on functionality, as the attack vector can be exploited across multiple applications that rely on the same authentication infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to the patched versions of the Pubcookie modules for both Drupal 4.7 and 4.6, specifically versions 1.2.2.4 and 1.6.2.1 respectively, as these releases contain the necessary fixes for the authentication bypass mechanism. Additionally, administrators should implement network-level monitoring to detect suspicious redirection patterns and ensure that all authentication-related parameters are properly validated before processing. The remediation process should include comprehensive security testing of the authentication flow and verification that all redirect URLs are properly validated against a whitelist of authorized destinations. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication and session management enhancements to reduce the attack surface and provide defense-in-depth against similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through social engineering and T1078 for valid accounts usage, highlighting the importance of proper authentication controls and session management in preventing unauthorized access to web applications.