CVE-2007-5835 in BosNews
Summary
by MITRE
Install.php in BosDev BosNews 4 and 5 does not require authentication for replacing an existing product installation or creating a new admin account, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (overwritten files) and possibly obtain administrative access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/11/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-5835 affects BosDev BosNews versions 4 and 5, specifically targeting the install.php script that handles product installation and administrative account creation processes. This represents a critical security flaw that undermines the fundamental principles of access control and authentication within the application's installation framework. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper authentication mechanisms during critical installation operations, creating a pathway for unauthorized remote actors to manipulate the system's core components.
The technical flaw manifests in the install.php script's failure to validate user credentials or administrative privileges before executing installation or account creation functions. This design oversight allows attackers to bypass normal authentication procedures and directly invoke installation routines that should only be accessible to authorized administrators. The vulnerability operates under CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for phishing, as the flaw enables unauthorized access through legitimate installation pathways. When exploited, this vulnerability can result in complete system compromise through administrative account creation or file system manipulation that overwrites critical application components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to include potential denial of service conditions through file overwrites and complete system compromise. Remote attackers can leverage this flaw to replace existing product installations with malicious versions, effectively corrupting the application's integrity and potentially rendering it unusable. The ability to create new administrative accounts provides persistent access to the system, enabling attackers to maintain control over compromised installations. Additionally, the vulnerability's exploitation can lead to data loss, system instability, and unauthorized modification of application logic, making it particularly dangerous for production environments where BosNews is deployed for content management or news distribution services.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of authentication controls within the installation process, ensuring that all installation and administrative account creation functions require proper verification of credentials before execution. Organizations should implement access controls that restrict installation routines to authorized personnel only, typically through IP-based restrictions or mandatory authentication mechanisms. The fix should involve adding authentication checks at the beginning of the install.php script to validate administrative privileges before allowing any installation or account creation operations. System administrators should also conduct thorough security reviews of all installation and upgrade processes within the application, ensuring that no other scripts within the BosNews framework contain similar authentication bypass vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and patch management procedures should be implemented to prevent similar issues in future versions of the software, while monitoring for unauthorized installation attempts should be enabled to detect potential exploitation attempts.