CVE-2007-5060 in XCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the cpass functionality in an admin action in index.php in XCMS allows remote attackers to change arbitrary passwords via certain password_ and rpassword_ parameters, possibly related to timestamp values.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/31/2017
The CVE-2007-5060 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery weakness in the XCMS content management system that specifically targets the administrative password reset functionality. This vulnerability resides within the index.php file where the cpass administrative action processes password change requests through password_ and rpassword_ parameters. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate timestamp values and execute unauthorized password modifications across the system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper authentication tokens, creating a pathway for malicious actors to perform unauthorized administrative actions without proper authorization. This type of vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery flaws as weaknesses that allow attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in the administrative password change mechanism. When administrators access the password reset functionality, the system fails to validate that the request originates from a legitimate administrative interface rather than a maliciously crafted web page. Attackers can construct specially crafted HTTP requests that leverage the existing session cookies of authenticated administrators to modify user passwords. The timestamp parameter manipulation aspect suggests that the system relies on temporal validation that can be bypassed or manipulated by attackers. This vulnerability specifically affects the cpass functionality within the admin action context, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the core administrative capabilities of the CMS. The flaw allows attackers to change arbitrary passwords, potentially compromising user accounts and gaining unauthorized access to sensitive system resources.
The operational impact of CVE-2007-5060 is severe and multifaceted, as it provides attackers with direct control over user authentication mechanisms within the XCMS environment. Successful exploitation enables attackers to modify passwords for any user account, potentially including administrator accounts, leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access or local system privileges to exploit the weakness, making it particularly dangerous in internet-facing environments. This type of vulnerability can be leveraged as a stepping stone for further attacks within the network infrastructure, as compromised user accounts often provide access to additional systems and data. The potential for privilege escalation through password manipulation makes this vulnerability particularly attractive to attackers seeking persistent access to target environments. Organizations using affected versions of XCMS face significant risk of data breaches, unauthorized access, and potential system takeover.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-5060 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the CMS administrative interface. The most effective approach involves incorporating unique, unpredictable tokens for each administrative request that are validated server-side before processing password change operations. Organizations should ensure that all administrative functions require proper authentication verification and that session management is properly secured to prevent session hijacking attacks. The system should implement proper input validation and parameter sanitization to prevent timestamp manipulation and ensure that all administrative actions require explicit user confirmation. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing rate limiting and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as credential access and privilege escalation, making it critical for security teams to implement comprehensive monitoring and remediation measures. Regular security audits and patch management procedures should be established to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions of the CMS.