CVE-2007-6174 in PHPDevShell
Summary
by MITRE
PHPDevShell before 0.7.0 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via a crafted request to update a user profile. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/12/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-6174 affects PHPDevShell versions prior to 0.7.0 and represents a privilege escalation flaw that enables authenticated remote attackers to elevate their access rights within the application. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the user profile update functionality, creating a pathway for malicious users to manipulate the system's authorization model. The vulnerability specifically targets the application's handling of user profile modification requests, where proper authentication checks fail to validate whether the requesting user has appropriate privileges to modify specific user accounts. This weakness allows attackers who have already established authentication credentials to exploit the system's trust model and gain unauthorized elevated privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the insufficient validation of user permissions during profile update operations. When an authenticated user submits a request to modify another user's profile information, the application fails to properly verify whether the current user possesses the necessary administrative rights to perform such actions. This flaw operates under CWE-285 which classifies it as an authorization vulnerability where the system does not properly enforce access controls. The vulnerability allows attackers to craft specific requests that bypass normal permission checks, potentially enabling them to modify user roles, permissions, or other sensitive profile attributes that should be restricted to administrators only.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for systems running affected versions of PHPDevShell as it provides a straightforward path for privilege escalation attacks. An attacker who has obtained legitimate user credentials can leverage this flaw to gain administrative access to the application, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The remote nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or local network presence to exploit it, making the attack surface much broader. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of the application's user management system, potentially allowing unauthorized modifications to user accounts, access control settings, and other critical system parameters.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass potential data breaches and system compromise. Once an attacker successfully exploits this flaw, they can modify user accounts to gain administrative privileges, potentially creating backdoor access points or altering security settings. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials and T1548.001 which addresses abuse of privileges. Organizations running vulnerable versions of PHPDevShell should implement immediate mitigations including updating to version 0.7.0 or later, implementing additional access control layers, and conducting thorough security reviews of user management functionality. System administrators should also monitor for suspicious user profile modification activities and implement proper logging of all administrative actions to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper access control implementation and input validation in web applications to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation attacks.