CVE-2008-2488 in RoomPHPlanning
Summary
by MITRE
admin/userform.php in RoomPHPlanning 1.5 does not require administrative credentials, which allows remote authenticated users to create new admin accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-2488 resides within the RoomPHPlanning 1.5 web application, specifically in the admin/userform.php component. This flaw represents a critical authorization bypass issue that undermines the application's security model by allowing any authenticated user to exploit a functionality that should be restricted to administrative personnel only. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access control validation within the user management interface, creating a pathway for privilege escalation that directly compromises the integrity of the application's administrative framework.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of proper authentication checks within the application's user management subsystem. When an authenticated user accesses the admin/userform.php endpoint, the application fails to verify whether the requesting user possesses administrative privileges before permitting account creation operations. This absence of privilege validation creates a direct attack vector where any legitimate user can leverage the administrative account creation functionality to establish new administrator credentials. The flaw operates at the application logic level, specifically violating the principle of least privilege and demonstrating inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables a remote authenticated attacker to fundamentally compromise the application's security posture by elevating their privileges to administrative level. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it allows the attacker to create persistent administrative accounts that can be used for continued unauthorized access. This vulnerability directly enables account takeover scenarios and provides attackers with the capability to modify user permissions, access sensitive data, and potentially compromise the entire application infrastructure. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur without physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments.
The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software applications. This classification emphasizes the fundamental flaw in the application's access control implementation where proper authorization checks are missing or improperly implemented. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and credential access, as the vulnerability allows attackers to create new administrative accounts that can be used for persistent access. Additionally, this issue relates to T1548.003 which covers abuse of sudo or similar privileges, as the vulnerability enables unauthorized users to assume administrative roles within the application.
Effective mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-2488 require immediate implementation of proper access control validation within the admin/userform.php component. The application must enforce strict administrative privilege checks before allowing any user account creation operations, ensuring that only users with existing administrative credentials can access these sensitive functions. Patching the application to version 1.6 or later is essential as this vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases. Network segmentation and monitoring of administrative access patterns should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security audits of application code should be conducted to identify similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities, particularly focusing on endpoints that handle user management and administrative functions. The implementation of role-based access control mechanisms and proper input validation can prevent similar issues from occurring in future deployments.