CVE-2007-0313 in GONICUS System Administration
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in GONICUS System Administration (GOsa) before 2.5.8 allows remote authenticated users to modify certain settings, including the admin password, via crafted POST requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-0313 affects GONICUS System Administration (GOsa) versions prior to 2.5.8, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of administrative controls within the system. This unspecified vulnerability manifests through improper input validation mechanisms that fail to adequately sanitize user-supplied data in HTTP POST requests, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers to manipulate system configurations. The flaw specifically enables remote authenticated users to modify sensitive administrative settings, including the ability to change administrator passwords, which fundamentally compromises the system's access control mechanisms and overall security posture.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate parameter validation within the web application's processing logic, allowing maliciously crafted POST requests to bypass normal authorization checks. This weakness aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation as a fundamental flaw that enables attackers to manipulate application behavior through malformed data. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the existing authenticated session to perform unauthorized administrative actions, making it particularly dangerous as it requires minimal additional privileges beyond initial authentication. Attackers can exploit this by crafting specific HTTP POST requests that target administrative configuration endpoints, potentially altering critical system parameters without proper authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model of the GOsa system. When an authenticated user can modify administrative passwords, they effectively gain complete control over the system's administrative functions, including user management, configuration changes, and access control modifications. This represents a severe violation of the principle of least privilege and can lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system, as unauthorized modifications can result in data loss, unauthorized access, and potential service disruption. Organizations relying on GOsa for system administration face significant risk of unauthorized access and potential data breaches when running vulnerable versions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. The primary solution involves upgrading to GOsa version 2.5.8 or later, which includes proper input validation and authorization checks to prevent unauthorized configuration modifications. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the scope of potential exploitation, ensuring that administrative functions are not directly accessible from untrusted networks. Additionally, implementing robust monitoring and logging of administrative activities can help detect unauthorized configuration changes. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and authorization checks, principles that align with the ATT&CK framework's defensive techniques for preventing privilege escalation and maintaining system integrity. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications within their infrastructure.