CVE-2007-4872 in Simplenews
Summary
by MITRE
SimpNews 2.41.03 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via (1) an invalid lang parameter to admin/index.php; or a direct request to (2) admin/dbg_infos.php, (3) admin/heading.php, or (4) evsearch.php; which reveals the path in various error messages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-4872 affects SimpNews version 2.41.03, a content management system that suffers from improper error handling and input validation flaws. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize user input parameters, particularly when processing requests to administrative components. The vulnerability manifests when attackers exploit the system's lack of proper parameter validation and error message handling, leading to information disclosure that can significantly aid further exploitation efforts.
The technical flaw resides in how the application processes the lang parameter within the admin/index.php script and directly accesses various administrative files including dbg_infos.php, heading.php, and evsearch.php. When these endpoints receive malformed or unauthorized requests, the system generates error messages that inadvertently reveal critical system path information. This occurs due to insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms that do not properly sanitize or filter user-supplied parameters before processing them within the application's internal logic. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200, which addresses improper error handling, and represents a classic case of information exposure through error messages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with detailed path information that can be leveraged for subsequent attacks. The disclosed paths may reveal the application's directory structure, file locations, and potentially sensitive server configurations that could be used to craft more targeted attacks. This information disclosure weakness allows threat actors to map the application's internal structure and potentially identify other vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1212, which involves exploitation of information disclosure vulnerabilities to gather system information, and T1083, which covers the discovery of system information through directory listing and path enumeration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and error handling procedures throughout the application. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied parameters are properly sanitized and validated before being processed, particularly within administrative endpoints. The application should be configured to suppress detailed error messages that reveal system paths and internal structures, instead displaying generic error messages to users. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and authentication mechanisms for administrative components will prevent unauthorized access to sensitive endpoints. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar input validation and error handling issues across the entire application stack, ensuring that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other components. The remediation efforts should also include implementing proper logging and monitoring for suspicious access patterns to administrative interfaces, which can help detect and respond to exploitation attempts.