CVE-2007-4190 in Joomla
Summary
by MITRE
CRLF injection vulnerability in Joomla! before 1.0.13 (aka Sunglow) allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTTP headers and probably conduct HTTP response splitting attacks via CRLF sequences in the url parameter. NOTE: this can be leveraged for cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/21/2021
The CVE-2007-4190 vulnerability represents a critical CRLF injection flaw in Joomla! versions prior to 1.0.13, commonly known as the Sunglow release. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the application's handling of URL parameters, specifically allowing malicious actors to inject carriage return line feed sequences that can manipulate HTTP headers. The flaw exists at the application layer where user-supplied input flows directly into HTTP response generation without proper sanitization or encoding, creating a pathway for attackers to manipulate the HTTP protocol itself.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing CRLF sequences such as %0d%0a or \r\n within the url parameter. When the vulnerable Joomla! application processes this input and incorporates it into HTTP headers without proper validation, the injected sequences can cause the server to append additional headers to the HTTP response. This header injection capability enables attackers to manipulate the response structure, potentially allowing them to inject malicious content into the HTTP stream. The vulnerability operates at the HTTP protocol level, specifically targeting the header section of HTTP responses where the server constructs its response headers before sending content to the client.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple header injection, as it enables sophisticated attack vectors including HTTP response splitting and cross-site scripting exploitation. HTTP response splitting occurs when an attacker can inject multiple HTTP responses within a single connection, potentially allowing them to bypass security controls or inject malicious content that gets interpreted by the victim's browser. The vulnerability's classification as a CWE-113 (Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in HTTP Headers) aligns with the fundamental principle that applications must properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into protocol-level constructs. When combined with XSS capabilities, this vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous as attackers can manipulate the victim's browser to execute malicious scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further exploitation of the web application.
Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation at multiple layers within web applications, particularly when handling user-supplied data that flows into protocol-level constructs. The attack pattern follows typical ATT&CK techniques for web application exploitation, specifically targeting the T1566.001 (Phishing) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) tactics by enabling both header manipulation and XSS delivery mechanisms. Organizations should implement proper input sanitization, HTTP header validation, and output encoding controls to prevent such vulnerabilities. The recommended mitigation involves upgrading to Joomla! 1.0.13 or later versions where the vulnerability has been addressed through enhanced input validation mechanisms that properly sanitize URL parameters before they are processed in HTTP response generation. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls with CRLF detection capabilities and regular security testing can help identify and prevent similar vulnerabilities in other applications within the organization's attack surface.