CVE-2007-5594 in Drupal
Summary
by MITRE
Drupal 5.x before 5.3 does not apply its Drupal Forms API protection against the user deletion form, which allows remote attackers to delete users via a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2019
Drupal 5.x versions prior to 5.3 contained a critical security vulnerability that undermined the platform's core form validation mechanisms. This flaw specifically affected the user deletion functionality within the Drupal Forms API, which is designed to prevent unauthorized modifications to user accounts. The vulnerability arose from the absence of proper CSRF protection measures in the user deletion form, creating an exploitable gap in the application's security architecture that could be leveraged by remote attackers to execute unauthorized user account deletions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stemmed from the failure to incorporate Drupal's built-in CSRF protection tokens within the user deletion form. The Forms API in Drupal typically enforces strict validation by requiring unique tokens that must be submitted along with form data to verify the authenticity of the request. However, in the affected versions, this protection was omitted specifically for the user deletion functionality, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that would be processed as legitimate administrative operations. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the application's input validation and request verification processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe as it enabled attackers to perform unauthorized user account deletions without proper authentication or authorization. An attacker could construct a malicious webpage or email attachment containing a hidden form submission that would automatically delete user accounts when accessed by authenticated users. This type of attack could result in complete loss of user data, disruption of services, and potential compromise of the entire Drupal installation. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous because it could be exploited through social engineering techniques, making it difficult for administrators to detect and prevent such attacks. This flaw directly aligns with CWE-352, which describes Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, and represents a classic example of how missing security controls can create significant risks in web applications.
Organizations running affected Drupal versions needed to implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary solution involved upgrading to Drupal 5.3 or later versions where the CSRF protection had been properly implemented for the user deletion form. Additionally, administrators should have reviewed their existing security configurations and ensured that proper access controls were in place for user management functions. The vulnerability also highlighted the importance of comprehensive security testing and the need for regular security audits to identify similar gaps in application logic. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability falls under the T1190 technique for Exploit Public-Facing Application, demonstrating how seemingly minor implementation flaws can create significant entry points for attackers to escalate their privileges and compromise user accounts within web applications.