CVE-2007-3643 in AV Arcade
Summary
by MITRE
admin/index.php in AV Arcade 2.1b grants administrative privileges when the ava_userid cookie value is 1, which allows remote attackers to perform certain administrative actions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-3643 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the AV Arcade 2.1b content management system. This issue stems from improper validation of administrative privileges through a client-side cookie mechanism, specifically the ava_userid cookie parameter. The flaw allows remote attackers to escalate their privileges by simply manipulating the cookie value to 1, effectively granting them full administrative access to the system without proper authentication. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of insecure direct object references and weak session management, both of which are classified under CWE-285 and CWE-613 respectively.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs in the admin/index.php file where the application checks the ava_userid cookie value to determine administrative access rights. When the cookie value equals 1, the system automatically grants administrative privileges regardless of the user's actual authentication status or role within the application. This design flaw demonstrates a fundamental lack of proper access control mechanisms and server-side validation of privilege levels. The vulnerability exists because the application trusts client-side data without performing adequate server-side verification of user credentials or authorization status.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for any system running AV Arcade 2.1b. Remote attackers can exploit this flaw to gain complete administrative control over the application, potentially leading to data theft, system compromise, unauthorized modifications to content, and the ability to create or delete user accounts. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system, making it a critical concern for organizations relying on this software. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation techniques, as it allows attackers to assume administrative roles without legitimate authentication.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of server-side access control validation mechanisms. Organizations should ensure that administrative privileges are verified through proper authentication checks rather than relying on client-side cookie values. The recommended approach includes implementing robust session management with server-side session tokens, validating user credentials against a secure database, and removing any direct object references that can be manipulated by clients. Additionally, the application should implement proper input validation and sanitization of all cookie values, ensuring that privilege levels cannot be artificially inflated through simple cookie manipulation. Security patches or updates to the AV Arcade software should be applied immediately, and organizations should conduct thorough security audits of their web applications to identify similar privilege escalation vulnerabilities that may exist in other components of their systems.