CVE-2008-3375 in jamroom
Summary
by MITRE
The jrCookie function in includes/jamroom-misc.inc.php in JamRoom before 3.4.0 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and gain administrative access via a boolean value within serialized data in a JMU_Cookie cookie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-3375 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the JamRoom content management system prior to version 3.4.0. This issue resides in the jrCookie function located within the includes/jamroom-misc.inc.php file, which processes serialized data contained within the JMU_Cookie cookie parameter. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization of serialized data structures, creating a pathway for remote attackers to manipulate authentication mechanisms and escalate privileges to administrative levels without proper credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the insecure handling of serialized PHP data within the cookie parameter. When the jrCookie function processes the JMU_Cookie cookie, it deserializes the contained data without sufficient validation checks, allowing an attacker to inject malicious boolean values that manipulate the authentication logic. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-502 which specifically addresses deserialization of untrusted data, and represents a classic example of insecure deserialization that can lead to privilege escalation and unauthorized access. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input sanitization practices where serialized data is directly processed without proper validation of data types and structure, creating an attack surface that directly undermines the authentication system's integrity.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to JamRoom installations, as remote attackers can exploit it to gain full administrative control over affected systems. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as administrative privileges would allow attackers to modify content, manage user accounts, access sensitive data, and potentially compromise the entire system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no prior authentication credentials and can be exploited through simple cookie manipulation techniques. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.003 which covers abuse of authentication mechanisms and privilege escalation through manipulation of authentication cookies or tokens.
The exploitation of this vulnerability typically involves crafting a malicious JMU_Cookie value containing serialized data with manipulated boolean parameters that alter the authentication flow within the application. Attackers can leverage this to bypass authentication checks and gain administrative access, potentially leading to complete system compromise. Organizations running vulnerable versions of JamRoom should immediately implement mitigations including updating to version 3.4.0 or later, implementing proper input validation for serialized data, and monitoring for suspicious cookie manipulation attempts. Additionally, security measures should include regular vulnerability assessments, input sanitization protocols, and network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of secure deserialization practices and proper authentication mechanism validation in web applications.