CVE-2008-5880 in Gobbl
Summary
by MITRE
admin/auth.php in Gobbl CMS 1.0 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and gain administrative access by setting the auth cookie to "ok".
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/19/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5880 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in Gobbl CMS version 1.0 that fundamentally compromises the security model of the content management system. This issue resides within the admin/auth.php file where the application fails to properly validate authentication state, creating a pathway for remote attackers to assume administrative privileges without legitimate credentials. The flaw stems from the application's reliance on a simple cookie value check rather than implementing proper session management or cryptographic verification mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by directly manipulating the auth cookie value to "ok" which the application accepts as valid authentication, thereby circumventing all intended security controls.
This authentication bypass vulnerability falls under the category of weak authentication mechanisms and can be categorized as CWE-287 - Improper Authentication, which is a well-documented weakness in software security that allows unauthorized access to protected resources. The vulnerability directly relates to the ATT&CK technique T1078 - Valid Accounts, as it enables attackers to gain administrative access without legitimate credentials, effectively allowing them to operate within the system using elevated privileges. The flaw demonstrates a fundamental lack of input validation and proper session handling that is essential for maintaining application security boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides complete administrative access to the compromised system, enabling attackers to perform any action within the CMS environment. Once authenticated, attackers can modify content, add or remove users, access sensitive data, alter system configurations, and potentially use the compromised system as a foothold for further attacks within the network. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers do not require physical access or network proximity to the system, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that are publicly accessible. This vulnerability essentially renders the entire CMS administration interface useless from a security perspective, as the authentication mechanism has been completely bypassed through simple cookie manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper session management and authentication validation mechanisms. The most effective approach involves replacing the cookie-based authentication check with a robust session handling system that includes proper session regeneration, secure session storage, and cryptographic verification of authentication state. Developers should implement time-based session expiration, require multi-factor authentication, and ensure that authentication tokens are generated using cryptographically secure random number generators. Additionally, the application should validate authentication state through server-side session storage rather than relying on client-side cookie values that can be easily manipulated. Security headers should be implemented to prevent cookie manipulation, and all authentication-related code should undergo thorough security testing including penetration testing and code review processes to identify similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect unusual authentication patterns and ensure that access controls are properly enforced at all levels of the application architecture.