CVE-2008-0823 in Header Image
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Header Image Module before 5.x-1.1 for Drupal allows remote attackers to access the administration pages via unknown attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0823 affects the Header Image Module for Drupal versions prior to 5.x-1.1, representing a critical security flaw that exposes administrative interfaces to unauthorized remote access. This unspecified vulnerability within the module's architecture creates a significant risk for Drupal installations that rely on the header image functionality for their website's visual presentation and administrative management. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanism enabling unauthorized access remains partially obscured, though the implications for system security are severe given the module's role in providing administrative capabilities.
The technical flaw manifests through unknown attack vectors that allow remote adversaries to bypass normal authentication and authorization mechanisms within the Drupal administration interface. This type of vulnerability typically stems from improper access control implementations, where the module fails to properly validate user permissions or authenticate requests before granting access to sensitive administrative functions. The vulnerability exists in the module's handling of HTTP requests and session management, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges or directly access administrative pages without proper credentials. Such issues often correlate with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) or CWE-285 (Improper Authorization) classifications, where the module's security controls are insufficient to protect administrative resources from unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of Drupal installations that utilize the affected module. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can gain full administrative control over affected websites, enabling them to modify content, alter user permissions, install malicious modules, or exfiltrate sensitive data from the system. This access level provides threat actors with the ability to completely compromise the website's functionality and potentially use the compromised system as a launchpad for further attacks within the organization's network infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access or local system credentials to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in environments where Drupal sites are publicly accessible.
Organizations running affected Drupal installations should immediately implement mitigation strategies to protect their systems from exploitation. The primary and most effective mitigation involves upgrading to the patched version 5.x-1.1 of the Header Image Module, which addresses the unspecified vulnerability through improved access control mechanisms and authentication checks. Security administrators should also implement network-level protections such as firewall rules that restrict access to administrative interfaces, employ additional authentication layers like two-factor authentication, and conduct comprehensive security audits of all installed modules to identify potential similar vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include monitoring for suspicious administrative activity and implementing proper logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and conducting regular security assessments of web applications and their associated modules, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing) which emphasize the exploitation of authentication bypasses to gain persistent access to systems.