CVE-2008-6479 in Virtuozzo
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the "change password" feature in the VZPP web interface for Parallels Virtuozzo 25.4.swsoft (build 3.0.0-25.4.swsoft) allows remote attackers to modify the password via a link or IMG tag to vz/cp/pwd.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2025
The CVE-2008-6479 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Parallels Virtuozzo 25.4.swsoft web interface administration panel. This vulnerability specifically targets the password change functionality, creating a dangerous attack vector that enables remote adversaries to manipulate user accounts without authentication. The flaw exists in the VZPP web interface component of the Virtuozzo virtualization platform, which is widely deployed in enterprise environments for container and virtual machine management. The vulnerability manifests when the system fails to properly validate the origin of password change requests, allowing attackers to craft malicious links or image tags that execute unauthorized password modifications.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper request validation mechanisms within the password change endpoint. When a user navigates to the vulnerable interface and the system processes the password change request, it does not verify that the request originates from a legitimate source within the same domain. Attackers can exploit this by embedding malicious links or image tags in phishing emails, compromised websites, or even within the same network environment. The specific endpoint vz/cp/pwd serves as the attack surface where the forged requests are processed, making it possible for remote attackers to modify user passwords simply by having the victim click on a malicious link or view a page containing an embedded image tag that triggers the password change operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to gain persistent control over user accounts within the Virtuozzo management interface. This creates a significant risk for enterprise environments where administrators rely on the web interface for critical system management tasks. The vulnerability can lead to complete compromise of the virtualization environment, as attackers can modify administrative credentials and subsequently gain unauthorized access to virtual machines, containers, and underlying system resources. Additionally, the attack requires minimal user interaction beyond simply visiting a malicious page or clicking a link, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users may encounter compromised content through social engineering or compromised websites. The vulnerability affects the specific build 3.0.0-25.4.swsoft, indicating that this was a targeted flaw in a particular version of the Parallels Virtuozzo platform.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations to protect their virtualization infrastructure. The primary recommendation involves implementing proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms that validate the authenticity of password change requests through unique, unpredictable tokens generated for each user session. This approach aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities and recommends the implementation of anti-CSRF tokens as a core defensive mechanism. Security teams should also consider implementing strict referer header validation and implementing the same-origin policy enforcement for critical administrative endpoints. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and credential access tactics, specifically mapping to T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering techniques that could be employed to exploit this weakness. Organizations should also review their web application security practices and ensure that all administrative interfaces implement robust CSRF protection mechanisms, including proper session management and request origin validation to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in other components of their virtualization infrastructure.