CVE-2008-4714 in Atomic Photo Album
Summary
by MITRE
Atomic Photo Album 1.1.0 pre4 does not properly handle the apa_cookie_login and apa_cookie_password cookies, which probably allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and gain administrative access via modified cookies.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/04/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4714 affects Atomic Photo Album version 1.1.0 pre4, a web-based photo management application that suffered from inadequate cookie handling mechanisms within its authentication system. This flaw represents a critical security weakness that directly impacts the application's ability to verify user identities and maintain proper access controls. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the application's improper processing of two critical cookies named apa_cookie_login and apa_cookie_password, which are designed to maintain user sessions and authentication states within the web interface.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of cookie values that are used to establish user authentication status. When these cookies are manipulated by remote attackers, the application fails to properly verify their authenticity or integrity, allowing unauthorized individuals to forge administrative sessions. This weakness falls under the category of improper authentication handling and can be categorized as CWE-287 - Improper Authentication, which is a well-documented vulnerability pattern in the CWE database that specifically addresses scenarios where authentication mechanisms are flawed or improperly implemented. The vulnerability enables attackers to bypass the normal authentication process by simply modifying cookie values to appear as if they are authenticated administrative users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for any organization or individual using the affected version of Atomic Photo Album. Remote attackers who can manipulate these cookies gain full administrative privileges within the application, which typically includes complete control over photo albums, user management, system configuration, and potentially access to underlying server resources. This level of access allows for data theft, modification of photo collections, user account manipulation, and potential lateral movement within networks where the application is deployed. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited remotely without requiring any special privileges or local access to the system, making it an attractive target for attackers who seek to compromise web applications.
The attack vector for this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1110 - Brute Force and T1566 - Phishing categories, as attackers can leverage cookie manipulation as a form of credential reuse or session hijacking. The vulnerability essentially allows attackers to perform session management attacks by exploiting the application's failure to validate cookie integrity. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to a patched version of Atomic Photo Album, implementing proper cookie validation mechanisms, and ensuring that session tokens are properly generated and verified. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual cookie patterns, and access controls should be reviewed to ensure that administrative privileges are not granted through easily manipulable session identifiers. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper session management and authentication verification in web applications, as even minor flaws in cookie handling can result in complete system compromise and unauthorized administrative access.