CVE-2007-0880 in Capital Request Forms
Summary
by MITRE
Capital Request Forms stores sensitive information under the web root with insufficient access control, which allows remote attackers to obtain database credentials via a direct request for inc/common_db.inc.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/10/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-0880 affects Capital Request Forms, a web-based application that handles sensitive data processing. This flaw represents a critical misconfiguration in the application's security architecture where sensitive information including database credentials is stored in a location accessible to all users without proper authentication mechanisms. The issue stems from the application's failure to implement adequate access controls for files containing privileged information, creating an exploitable condition that directly compromises the system's security posture.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a direct request to the inc/common_db.inc file located within the web root directory. This file contains database connection parameters and credentials that are essential for the application to communicate with its backend database system. The flaw demonstrates poor security practices in file placement and access control implementation, as the web server serves this sensitive configuration file without requiring authentication or authorization checks. Attackers can simply construct a URL pointing to this file and retrieve the database credentials, effectively bypassing all application-level security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations using Capital Request Forms. Once attackers obtain the database credentials, they gain direct access to the underlying database system, enabling them to extract, modify, or delete sensitive information including user data, financial records, and other confidential business information. This access can lead to complete system compromise, data breaches, and potential regulatory violations depending on the nature of the stored data. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor into the database infrastructure, allowing attackers to operate with elevated privileges and persistence within the target environment.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-275 permissions and access control issues, specifically CWE-732 which addresses incorrect permissions for critical resources. The flaw also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which covers legitimate credentials and T1566.001 which involves malicious file execution through web shells. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including moving sensitive configuration files outside the web root directory, implementing proper access controls and authentication mechanisms, and conducting comprehensive security audits to identify similar misconfigurations. Additionally, regular security testing and proper file permission management should be enforced to prevent such critical security flaws from occurring in future deployments. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices including the principle of least privilege and proper separation of concerns in application architecture design.