CVE-2008-2276 in Mantis
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in manage_user_create.php in Mantis 1.1.1 allows remote attackers to create new administrative users via a crafted link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-2276 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Mantis bug tracking system version 1.1.1. This weakness resides in the manage_user_create.php component which handles user creation functionality within the administrative interface. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate the system by constructing malicious links that automatically execute user creation commands without proper authentication or authorization checks. The vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar protective mechanisms that would normally validate the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate administrative sessions.
This CSRF vulnerability operates by exploiting the trust relationship between the web application and the user's browser. When an authenticated administrator visits a malicious website containing a crafted link pointing to the vulnerable manage_user_create.php endpoint, the browser automatically submits the request without requiring user interaction or confirmation. The malicious site can be designed to include parameters that create new administrative accounts with elevated privileges, effectively allowing unauthorized users to gain control over the system. The attack vector demonstrates a fundamental failure in input validation and request authenticity verification, as the application does not distinguish between legitimate administrative actions and forged requests submitted through compromised user sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with persistent administrative access to the Mantis system. Once an attacker successfully creates a new administrative user account, they can modify system configurations, access sensitive data, manipulate existing user accounts, and potentially use the compromised system as a foothold for further attacks within the network. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and authentication requirements that should govern administrative functions within any web application. The flaw also represents a significant risk to data integrity and system availability, as malicious actors could create accounts with backdoor access or modify system parameters to disrupt normal operations.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw also corresponds to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation and persistence tactics, where attackers leverage application-level vulnerabilities to establish unauthorized administrative access. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper anti-CSRF mechanisms such as unique tokens per session, referer header validation, or SameSite cookie attributes that would prevent the automatic execution of administrative commands from unauthorized sources. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including the addition of CSRF tokens to all administrative requests, proper session management controls, and thorough input validation to prevent unauthorized access to critical system functions.