CVE-2007-3421 in WebAPP
Summary
by MITRE
The (1) login, (2) admin profile edit, (3) reminder, (4) edit profile, (5) profile view, (6) gallery view, (7) gallery comment, and (8) gallery feedback capabilities in web-app.org WebAPP before 0.9.9.7 do not verify presence of users in memberlist.dat, which has unknown impact and remote attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2018
The vulnerability identified in web-app.org WebAPP versions prior to 0.9.9.7 represents a critical access control flaw that affects multiple user interaction points within the application. This issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms that fail to verify user authentication status before granting access to sensitive functionalities. The affected components include login systems, administrative profile editing, password reminder services, profile modification capabilities, profile viewing interfaces, gallery browsing features, comment submission mechanisms, and feedback systems. These eight distinct pathways all share the common vulnerability of not cross-referencing user credentials against the memberlist.dat file, creating potential security exposure points throughout the application's user management infrastructure.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization checks in software applications. The flaw operates at the authentication verification layer where the system accepts user requests without confirming that the requesting entity exists within the legitimate user database. This weakness allows attackers to potentially exploit the application's functionality through unauthorized access attempts, particularly when users are not properly validated against the memberlist.dat file. The absence of proper user existence verification creates opportunities for privilege escalation, unauthorized data access, and potential account takeovers across all affected modules. The vulnerability's remote attack vectors indicate that malicious actors can exploit this flaw without requiring physical access to the system or local network presence.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it creates potential for broader system compromise and data integrity violations. Attackers could leverage this flaw to access administrative functions, modify user profiles, submit comments or feedback on gallery items, or view restricted profile information without proper authentication. The cumulative effect across the eight affected capabilities creates multiple attack surfaces that could be exploited simultaneously, amplifying the potential damage. Organizations relying on this vulnerable version of WebAPP face risks of unauthorized data modification, privacy breaches, and possible complete system compromise through the exploitation of these interconnected access control failures.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive user validation mechanisms across all affected modules, ensuring that each interaction point verifies user presence in the memberlist.dat file before granting access. The implementation of proper authentication checks aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting. Organizations should prioritize immediate upgrade to WebAPP version 0.9.9.7 or later, which addresses this vulnerability through enhanced user verification processes. Additional defensive measures include implementing robust logging of authentication attempts, monitoring for unauthorized access patterns, and establishing proper input validation controls to prevent exploitation of the validation bypass. Security teams should also conduct thorough penetration testing to identify any remaining access control gaps and ensure that all user interaction points properly enforce authorization requirements.