CVE-2008-0788 in MyBB
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in MyBB 1.2.11 and earlier allow remote attackers to (1) hijack the authentication of moderators or administrators for requests that delete threads via a do_multideletethreads action to moderation.php and (2) hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that delete private messages (PM) via a delete action to private.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0788 represents a critical cross-site request forgery issue affecting MyBB versions 1.2.11 and earlier. This flaw resides in the forum software's authentication handling mechanisms and specifically targets the moderation and private messaging functionalities. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to exploit the lack of proper anti-CSRF token validation in two distinct scenarios, creating significant security risks for forum administrators and users alike. The issue stems from the absence of sufficient session validation and request origin verification within the affected PHP scripts, making it possible for malicious actors to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fundamental weakness in MyBB's CSRF protection mechanisms. In the first scenario, attackers can craft malicious requests that target the do_multideletethreads action within moderation.php, enabling them to delete threads without proper authorization from moderators or administrators. The second vulnerability allows attackers to delete private messages on behalf of arbitrary users through the delete action in private.php. Both exploits rely on the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens that should validate the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate forum users. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. This categorization emphasizes the core issue of unauthorized request execution and the failure to validate request origins.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data loss, as it enables attackers to compromise the integrity and availability of forum data. When moderators or administrators are targeted, the attacker gains the ability to remove important discussion threads, potentially destroying valuable community content and disrupting forum operations. The private message deletion capability creates additional risks for user privacy and communication integrity. Attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities to remove sensitive messages, disrupt user communications, and potentially gain insights into user activities. The vulnerability affects the core security model of the forum platform by undermining the authentication system's ability to distinguish between legitimate and malicious requests. This compromise can lead to broader security implications including potential data breaches and service disruption, as noted in the ATT&CK framework under the T1190 technique for exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of anti-CSRF token validation throughout the MyBB application. The solution involves adding unique, unpredictable tokens to each form submission and validating these tokens on the server-side before processing any sensitive operations. Organizations should upgrade to MyBB versions that include proper CSRF protection mechanisms and implement additional security measures such as request origin validation and session management improvements. The fix should align with security best practices outlined in OWASP's CSRF prevention guidelines and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in web applications, as this type of flaw represents a common weakness in web-based systems. The vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of implementing robust session management and request validation mechanisms in web applications to prevent unauthorized access and data manipulation.