CVE-2008-4167 in Ezphotogallery
Summary
by MITRE
useradmin.php in Easy Photo Gallery (aka Ezphotogallery) 2.1 does not require administrative authentication, which allows remote attackers to (1) add or (2) remove an Administrator account.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4167 affects Easy Photo Gallery version 2.1, specifically targeting the useradmin.php component within the application. This represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that fundamentally compromises the security posture of the system. The vulnerability exists due to inadequate access control mechanisms within the administrative interface, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to perform privileged actions without proper authorization. The flaw manifests in the application's failure to verify administrative credentials before executing sensitive operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to assume administrative privileges remotely.
This authentication bypass vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and proper access control enforcement, which are core security requirements defined in multiple industry standards including CWE-285 for improper authorization and CWE-305 for authentication bypass. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform two critical administrative functions: adding new administrator accounts and removing existing administrator accounts. This dual capability provides attackers with complete control over the application's administrative interface and potentially the underlying system. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it allows for persistent access and the ability to establish backdoors within the application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching within the context of web application security. Remote attackers can exploit this flaw from any location without requiring prior access credentials, making it particularly dangerous for applications deployed in production environments. The ability to add administrator accounts means that attackers can establish permanent access to the system, while removing existing accounts can lead to denial of service or complete loss of administrative control. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, as it essentially allows attackers to create or manipulate administrative credentials without legitimate authorization. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the application's administrative functions, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper authentication controls and access verification mechanisms. The primary remediation involves implementing robust authentication checks within the useradmin.php script to ensure that all administrative operations require valid administrative credentials before execution. Security patches should enforce session validation and role-based access control to prevent unauthorized access to administrative functions. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to administrative interfaces, though this represents a secondary mitigation as the core issue is the application's lack of authentication verification. Regular security auditing of web applications should include verification of access control mechanisms, particularly for administrative interfaces, to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions or related applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper authentication and authorization checks in all application components that handle privileged operations, aligning with security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001 standards.