CVE-2008-2879 in Benja CMS
Summary
by MITRE
Benja CMS 0.1 does not require authentication for access to admin/, which allows remote attackers to add or delete a menu.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/14/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-2879 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in Benja CMS version 0.1 that exposes administrative functionality to unauthenticated remote attackers. This issue stems from improper access control implementation where the administrative interface located at the admin/ path does not enforce any authentication mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions. The vulnerability specifically affects the menu management capabilities, enabling attackers to add or delete menu items without proper authorization. This represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture and demonstrates poor implementation of the principle of least privilege.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems. The flaw occurs at the application layer where access controls are not properly enforced for administrative functions. Attackers can exploit this by simply navigating to the admin/ URL path and performing unauthorized operations without needing valid credentials or authentication tokens. This type of vulnerability typically arises from inadequate input validation and access control checks during application initialization or request processing. The absence of authentication checks for administrative paths violates standard security practices and creates an attack surface that can be easily exploited by anyone with network access to the affected system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with complete control over menu configurations within the CMS, which can serve as a stepping stone for further exploitation. An attacker can manipulate the website's navigation structure to redirect users to malicious content, remove critical navigation elements, or create misleading menu items that could facilitate phishing attacks. The ability to add or delete menu items represents a persistent threat that can affect website usability and potentially compromise user trust. This vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring any specialized tools or local access, making it particularly dangerous in publicly accessible web applications. The impact extends beyond simple menu manipulation as it could enable attackers to establish backdoors or create malicious links that could compromise the entire website.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper authentication mechanisms for all administrative paths and ensuring that access controls are enforced at the application level. The primary fix involves adding authentication checks before allowing access to the admin/ directory and its associated functions. This includes implementing secure session management, enforcing role-based access controls, and ensuring that all administrative functions require valid authentication tokens or credentials. Organizations should also implement network-level controls such as firewalls and access control lists to restrict access to administrative interfaces to trusted networks only. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar authentication bypass vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. The remediation process should also include logging and monitoring of administrative access attempts to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against common authentication and authorization flaws. The issue demonstrates that even simple CMS applications require proper security hardening to prevent unauthorized access to administrative functions that could compromise the entire web application.