CVE-2007-5817 in CONTENTCustomizer
Summary
by MITRE
dialog.php in CONTENTCustomizer 3.1mp and earlier allows remote attackers to perform certain privileged actions via a (1) del, (2) delbackup, (3) res, or (4) ren action. NOTE: this issue can be leveraged to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) and possibly other attacks.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/13/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-5817 affects CONTENTCustomizer version 3.1mp and earlier, specifically targeting the dialog.php component. This represents a critical authorization bypass flaw that allows remote attackers to execute privileged operations without proper authentication. The vulnerability manifests through four distinct action parameters: del, delbackup, res, and ren, each of which can be manipulated to perform unauthorized administrative functions. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the application's dialog.php file, which fails to properly verify user privileges before executing sensitive operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exposes a fundamental weakness in the application's privilege management system. When attackers submit requests containing the specified action parameters, the system processes these operations without sufficient authentication checks or authorization verification. This creates a pathway for malicious actors to escalate their privileges and perform actions typically restricted to authorized administrators. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it can be leveraged to execute cross-site scripting attacks, making it particularly dangerous in web application contexts where user input is processed without proper sanitization.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using affected CONTENTCustomizer installations. Attackers can exploit these weaknesses to delete files, modify backup configurations, restore system components, or rename critical elements within the application. The potential for cross-site scripting attacks further amplifies the threat, as successful exploitation could lead to session hijacking, data theft, or complete system compromise. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not need physical access to the system, making it particularly concerning for web-facing applications. Organizations may experience unauthorized data modification, service disruption, or complete system takeover depending on the scope of privileges available through the affected interface.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization issues in software applications. This classification reflects the core problem of inadequate access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to perform privileged operations. Additionally, the cross-site scripting component of this vulnerability corresponds to CWE-79, indicating improper neutralization of input during web page generation. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and code injection, specifically T1068 for local privilege escalation and T1566 for social engineering through malicious web content. The exploitation pattern also aligns with T1213, representing data from information repositories that could be accessed through unauthorized administrative functions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-5817 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected CONTENTCustomizer versions to address the core authorization bypass issue. Organizations must implement comprehensive input validation and sanitization measures to prevent malicious parameters from being processed by the dialog.php component. Access control mechanisms should be strengthened through proper authentication checks before any privileged operations are executed. Network segmentation and firewall rules can help limit exposure to this vulnerability by restricting access to the affected application components. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities in other applications. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and content security policies can provide additional layers of protection against both the privilege escalation and XSS components of this vulnerability, ensuring that user input is properly validated and sanitized before processing.