CVE-2008-6587 in Vuze
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in index.tmpl in Vuze (formerly Azureus HTML WebUI), probably 0.7.6, allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of users for requests that force the download of arbitrary torrent files via the upurl parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/04/2018
The CVE-2008-6587 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in Vuze's HTML WebUI interface, specifically within the index.tmpl template file. This vulnerability affects Vuze versions around 0.7.6 and demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the application's session management and request validation mechanisms. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the web interface's trust relationship with authenticated users, creating a dangerous scenario where malicious actors can manipulate victims into performing unauthorized actions without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability revolves around the upurl parameter handling within the Vuze WebUI. When users access the vulnerable interface, the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF token validation for download requests. This omission allows attackers to craft malicious web pages or email attachments that contain embedded requests targeting the Vuze WebUI's download functionality. The upurl parameter specifically accepts URLs pointing to torrent files, enabling attackers to force downloads of arbitrary malicious torrent files from remote servers. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, exploiting the trust relationship between the web browser and the Vuze application, where the browser automatically includes any cookies associated with the Vuze session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized file downloads, as it creates a vector for more sophisticated attacks within the Vuze ecosystem. An attacker could potentially distribute malicious torrent files that contain malware or exploit other vulnerabilities present in the Vuze client, creating a multi-stage attack chain. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target system. This makes it particularly dangerous in environments where Vuze is exposed to untrusted networks or where users may browse malicious content without proper security awareness.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications. This classification indicates that the vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of the origin of HTTP requests, allowing attackers to forge requests that appear legitimate to the target application. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and execution through web-based attacks, potentially enabling adversaries to establish persistent access through malicious torrent downloads that could contain additional payloads or backdoors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require implementing robust anti-CSRF measures within the Vuze WebUI implementation. The most effective approach involves generating and validating unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that must be included with every state-changing request. Additionally, implementing proper request origin validation and using the SameSite cookie attributes can significantly reduce the attack surface. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and strict access controls should also be deployed to limit exposure. Users should be encouraged to disable the WebUI when not actively required, and organizations should consider implementing proper network segmentation to prevent unauthorized access to Vuze interfaces. Regular security updates and patches should be applied immediately upon availability, as this vulnerability represents a well-known flaw that was addressed in subsequent versions of the Vuze application.