CVE-2006-6818 in Webhost Directory
Summary
by MITRE
AlstraSoft Web Host Directory allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and change the admin password via a direct request to admin/config.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/29/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-6818 affects AlstraSoft Web Host Directory software, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that directly compromises administrative access controls. This vulnerability resides within the application's security architecture, specifically in how it handles administrative requests and validates user permissions. The flaw allows malicious actors to circumvent the standard authentication mechanisms by directly accessing administrative endpoints without proper authorization, fundamentally undermining the software's access control model. Such a vulnerability would typically be classified under CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and access control enforcement within the web application's administrative interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting direct HTTP requests to the admin/config endpoint, bypassing the normal authentication flow that should require valid administrative credentials. This direct access pattern suggests that the application fails to properly implement session management or authentication tokens, allowing unauthenticated users to perform administrative functions. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor path into the administrative configuration system, enabling attackers to manipulate critical system settings and potentially gain complete control over the web hosting environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with the capability to modify administrative passwords and potentially take complete control of the hosting platform. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can change the administrator password, lock out legitimate users, and modify system configurations that could affect multiple hosted websites or applications. This type of privilege escalation directly enables further attacks including data exfiltration, service disruption, and potential lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability could also facilitate persistent access if attackers modify system configurations to maintain their presence or establish additional attack vectors.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to administrative endpoints, implementing strong access controls and authentication mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and block suspicious requests to administrative paths. The software vendor should provide a security patch addressing the authentication bypass flaw, while system administrators should conduct immediate vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts. Additional security measures should include monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and ensuring that administrative interfaces are not directly exposed to untrusted networks. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper access control implementation and demonstrates how insufficient authentication checks can lead to complete system compromise, making it essential for organizations to maintain up-to-date security practices and regular vulnerability assessments.