CVE-2008-6524 in openInvoice
Summary
by MITRE
resetpass.php in openInvoice 0.90 beta and earlier allows remote authenticated users to change the passwords of arbitrary users via a modified uid parameter. NOTE: this can be leveraged with a separate vulnerability in auth.php to modify passwords without authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6524 resides within the resetpass.php component of openInvoice version 0.90 beta and earlier installations, representing a critical authorization bypass flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to manipulate user account credentials. This vulnerability operates through a parameter manipulation technique where attackers can modify the uid parameter to target arbitrary user accounts within the system, effectively allowing them to change passwords for users other than their own. The flaw constitutes a direct violation of access control mechanisms and demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the application's user privilege validation processes. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by its potential for chaining with another security flaw present in the auth.php file, which allows attackers to escalate their privileges and execute password modifications without prior authentication, transforming what might initially appear as a limited authorization issue into a full account takeover capability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and improper access control enforcement within the resetpass.php script. When a user requests a password reset, the application should verify that the requesting user has legitimate authorization to modify the target account's credentials. However, the system fails to properly validate the uid parameter against the authenticated user's privileges, allowing any authenticated user to submit a modified uid value that points to another user's account. This represents a classic case of insecure direct object reference vulnerability, which maps to CWE-639 in the CWE database, specifically addressing authorization checks for direct object references. The flaw occurs at the application logic level where the system assumes that authenticated users can only modify their own accounts, without implementing proper access control verification for the target user identifier.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple credential manipulation, creating significant risks for system security and data integrity within the affected openInvoice installations. An attacker who gains access to any legitimate user account can leverage this vulnerability to compromise multiple user accounts within the system, potentially leading to complete system takeover if administrator accounts are targeted. This vulnerability enables privilege escalation attacks where attackers can systematically target users with higher privileges, effectively undermining the entire authentication and authorization framework. The chained exploitation with the auth.php vulnerability creates a particularly dangerous attack vector where an attacker can first exploit the authentication bypass to gain initial access, then leverage the password reset flaw to modify any user's credentials, including administrators, thus achieving persistent access to the system. The implications align with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which covers legitimate credentials for privilege escalation, and T1531 which addresses account access removal through password modification attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-6524 require immediate implementation of proper access control validation and input parameter sanitization within the openInvoice application. The primary fix involves implementing strict validation of user identifiers in the resetpass.php script to ensure that authenticated users can only modify their own account credentials, regardless of the uid parameter value submitted. This requires implementing proper session management and user privilege checking that cross-references the authenticated user's identity with the target user identifier. Organizations should also implement input validation controls that sanitize all user-supplied parameters and enforce proper authorization checks at every point where user account modifications occur. The system should maintain audit logs of all password reset requests and modifications to detect suspicious activities. Additionally, the application should be updated to the latest stable version of openInvoice where these vulnerabilities have been addressed, as the affected version 0.90 beta represents an outdated release that likely contains multiple other unpatched security issues. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous password reset patterns and unauthorized account modifications, particularly when multiple password changes occur within short timeframes for different user accounts.