CVE-2007-1187 in WebAPP
Summary
by MITRE
WebAPP before 0.9.9.5 allows remote authenticated users, without admin privileges, to obtain sensitive information via (1) the Forum Archive feature and (2) Recent Searches.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-1187 affects WebAPP versions prior to 0.9.9.5 and represents a significant information disclosure flaw that undermines the security posture of the application. This issue permits authenticated users who lack administrative privileges to access sensitive data through two distinct attack vectors within the application's functionality. The vulnerability specifically targets the Forum Archive feature and the Recent Searches functionality, both of which are designed to provide users with access to historical data and search records within the application's interface. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of insufficient access control mechanisms, where proper authorization checks fail to prevent users from accessing data that should be restricted to administrators or authorized personnel only.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control implementation within the WebAPP application. When users interact with the Forum Archive feature or Recent Searches functionality, the application fails to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to access the requested data. This oversight creates a path for authenticated users to bypass normal access restrictions and retrieve information that would typically be protected. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization issues, and represents a form of privilege escalation that occurs within the application's own access control framework rather than through external exploitation. The flaw operates at the application layer, where the security controls that should enforce user permissions are either absent or improperly implemented.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure and creates potential risks for organizations relying on WebAPP for their web-based applications. Remote authenticated users can exploit these weaknesses to gather sensitive information that may include user activity patterns, forum discussions, search queries, and potentially other confidential data stored within the application's database. This information could be leveraged by malicious actors to understand application usage patterns, identify potential security gaps, or even develop more sophisticated attacks against the system. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it does not require administrative privileges to exploit, meaning that any authenticated user within the system can potentially access restricted data. This scenario aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213, which involves data from information repositories, and demonstrates how seemingly benign application features can become attack vectors when proper access controls are not implemented.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies that focus on strengthening access control mechanisms within the application. The primary remediation involves updating to WebAPP version 0.9.9.5 or later, which includes proper authorization checks for the affected features. Additionally, administrators should review and enforce proper user role definitions to ensure that access to sensitive features is restricted to authorized personnel only. The implementation of comprehensive logging and monitoring for these specific features can help detect unauthorized access attempts and provide early warning of potential exploitation. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level restrictions to limit access to sensitive application features and ensure that proper authentication mechanisms are in place to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to the application in the first place. The vulnerability underscores the importance of regular security assessments and proper access control implementation, particularly for features that handle user-generated content or historical data within web applications.