CVE-2007-0184 in Direct Web Remoting
Summary
by MITRE
Getahead Direct Web Remoting (DWR) before 1.1.4 allows attackers to obtain unauthorized access to public methods via a crafted request that bypasses the include/exclude checks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/17/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-0184 affects Getahead Direct Web Remoting DWR versions prior to 1.1.4 and represents a critical authorization bypass flaw that undermines the security controls designed to protect public methods within web applications. This vulnerability specifically targets the include/exclude filtering mechanism that DWR implements to control which methods can be accessed remotely by clients. The flaw allows malicious actors to craft specially formatted requests that circumvent these security checks, effectively granting unauthorized access to methods that should remain protected or restricted.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of request parameters within DWR's method invocation system. When DWR processes remote method calls, it relies on configuration files that define which methods should be accessible and which should be excluded from public access. The vulnerability occurs because the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the method names included in incoming requests, allowing attackers to manipulate the request parameters to include methods that would normally be excluded from public access. This bypass mechanism operates at the application layer and can be exploited through HTTP requests that manipulate the DWR-specific parameters used to identify target methods.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with unauthorized access to potentially sensitive functionality within applications that rely on DWR for remote method invocation. Depending on the nature of the exposed methods, this could lead to data leakage, unauthorized data manipulation, privilege escalation, or even complete system compromise if the exposed methods provide access to backend services or database operations. The vulnerability affects web applications that utilize DWR for AJAX functionality and remote method calls, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where such frameworks are commonly deployed.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and represents a classic example of how flawed input validation can lead to privilege escalation. The attack vector follows patterns consistent with those documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation and defense evasion tactics, as attackers can bypass security controls without detection. Organizations running vulnerable DWR versions should immediately implement patches to version 1.1.4 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to properly validate method names and enforce include/exclude restrictions. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring of DWR endpoints can provide additional layers of defense, though the primary mitigation remains the application of the vendor-provided security update.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in web applications and highlights how seemingly minor flaws in parameter validation can have significant security implications. Security practitioners should conduct thorough audits of all DWR implementations to ensure that proper method access controls are in place and that no legacy systems remain vulnerable to this type of authorization bypass attack. Regular security assessments and patch management processes are essential to prevent exploitation of such vulnerabilities in production environments.