CVE-2006-6722 in Bandwebsite
Summary
by MITRE
Bandwebsite (aka Bandsite portal system) 1.5 allows remote attackers to create administrative accounts via a direct request to admin.php with the Login parameter set to 1.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-6722 affects the Bandwebsite system, also known as Bandsite portal system version 1.5, presenting a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to escalate privileges by creating administrative accounts. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the system's administrative interface, specifically in the admin.php script that handles account creation processes. The vulnerability allows malicious actors to bypass normal authentication procedures and directly manipulate the system to establish administrative privileges without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a direct request to the admin.php endpoint with a specific parameter value that triggers administrative account creation functionality. When the Login parameter is set to 1, the system processes this request without adequate verification of the requester's credentials or authorization level. This represents a classic example of insecure direct object reference vulnerability, where the application fails to properly validate user permissions before executing privileged operations. The flaw operates at the application logic level, where the system's access control mechanisms are bypassed through manipulation of input parameters that should normally be protected from direct user interaction.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk to system integrity and data security. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain full administrative control over the Bandsite portal system, enabling them to modify or delete content, access sensitive user data, alter system configurations, and potentially use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the network. The remote nature of this exploit means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or knowledge of valid credentials to leverage this vulnerability. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in web applications where the attack surface is already large and accessible from external networks.
The security implications extend beyond immediate privilege escalation to encompass broader compliance and risk management concerns. Organizations using this vulnerable system face potential regulatory violations, data breaches, and reputational damage if such vulnerabilities remain unaddressed. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege that should govern all access control mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and can be leveraged as part of broader attack chains to establish persistent access and move laterally within compromised environments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of the affected system to address the flawed access control implementation in admin.php. Organizations should implement proper input validation and parameter sanitization to prevent direct manipulation of administrative functions. Additional measures include implementing proper authentication checks before allowing any administrative operations, restricting direct access to administrative endpoints, and establishing robust logging and monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection, while regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the system architecture. The remediation process should also include reviewing and strengthening overall access control policies to prevent similar issues from occurring in other parts of the application.