CVE-2008-0570 in OpenID
Summary
by MITRE
The OpenID 5.x-1.0 and earlier module for Drupal does not properly verify the claimed_id returned by an OpenID provider, which allows remote OpenID providers to spoof OpenID authentication for domains associated with other providers.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-0570 represents a critical authentication flaw within the OpenID module for Drupal versions 5.x-1.0 and earlier. This issue stems from insufficient validation of the claimed_id parameter that is returned by OpenID providers during the authentication process. The OpenID protocol is designed to allow users to authenticate across multiple websites using a single identity, but this particular flaw undermines the fundamental security premise of the protocol by enabling malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between the Drupal site and the OpenID provider.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the Drupal OpenID module fails to properly verify that the claimed_id parameter matches the expected domain or identity of the authenticating user. This validation gap allows a malicious OpenID provider to return a claimed_id that references a different domain or identity than what the Drupal site expects, effectively enabling impersonation attacks. The flaw operates at the authentication verification layer where the system should confirm that the identity being presented matches the identity that was originally requested for authentication. This represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and authentication verification, which aligns with CWE-287 for improper authentication and CWE-345 for insufficient verification of data authenticity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass, as it creates a pathway for attackers to gain unauthorized access to user accounts and potentially compromise the entire Drupal site. When an attacker can spoof authentication for a domain associated with another provider, they can essentially impersonate legitimate users, access restricted content, modify user accounts, and potentially escalate privileges within the Drupal system. This vulnerability affects the core security model of the OpenID authentication system, undermining the trust that users and administrators place in the authentication process. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal technical expertise to exploit, as the attacker only needs to control or compromise an OpenID provider that can be used to generate a valid claimed_id for a different domain.
Organizations using affected Drupal versions should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of the OpenID module, implementing additional authentication verification measures, and monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper authentication protocol implementation and the dangers of relying on trust relationships without proper verification mechanisms. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation, specifically targeting the authentication process to gain unauthorized access to systems. The flaw also highlights the need for comprehensive input validation and the importance of following security best practices in authentication module development, particularly in the context of federated identity systems where trust relationships are inherently more complex and require robust verification mechanisms.