CVE-2007-5987 in Bti-tracker
Summary
by MITRE
details.php in BtiTracker before 1.4.5, when torrent viewing is disabled for guests, allows remote attackers to bypass protection mechanisms via a direct request, as demonstrated by (1) reading the details of an arbitrary torrent and (2) modifying a torrent owned by a guest.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/11/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-5987 affects BtiTracker versions prior to 1.4.5 and represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the intended security measures protecting torrent content. This vulnerability resides within the details.php script which is responsible for displaying torrent information to users. The flaw specifically manifests when the system is configured to restrict torrent viewing access for guest users, creating a false sense of security that is subsequently bypassed through direct request manipulation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control enforcement within the application's authentication and authorization mechanisms. When a guest user attempts to access torrent details through the normal application interface, the system correctly enforces restrictions. However, the vulnerability allows remote attackers to circumvent these protections by directly requesting the details.php script with specific parameters that bypass the normal access control checks. This direct request approach exploits a design flaw where the application fails to properly verify user permissions before processing requests for torrent information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass full unauthorized access to torrent management functions. Attackers can exploit this flaw to read details of any torrent within the system regardless of ownership or guest restrictions, potentially exposing sensitive metadata about torrents, including file lists, upload dates, and user ownership information. Additionally, the vulnerability enables modification of torrents owned by guest users, which could lead to data corruption, unauthorized changes to torrent content, or even the creation of malicious torrent files that could be used for further attacks within the tracker network.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a classic example of how insufficient access control validation can lead to privilege escalation and unauthorized system access. The attack vector described in the CVE follows ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which involves legitimate credentials gained through exploitation of vulnerabilities to access systems. The flaw demonstrates poor security implementation where the application assumes that all requests passing through normal application flow are properly authenticated, failing to validate access rights for direct script access attempts.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate implementation of proper access control validation at the application level for all entry points, particularly those that handle sensitive operations. System administrators should upgrade to BtiTracker version 1.4.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this access control flaw. Additionally, implementing comprehensive input validation and ensuring that all direct script requests undergo proper authentication and authorization checks will prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security measures such as rate limiting for direct script access attempts and monitoring for unusual access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The fix should include proper session validation, user role verification, and ensuring that all torrent operations respect the configured access restrictions for different user types.