CVE-2008-6965 in AJ Auction
Summary
by MITRE
AJ Square AJ Auction OOPD, Pro Platinum Skin #1, Pro Platinum Skin #2, and Web 2.0 send a redirect but do not exit when certain scripts are called directly, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication via a direct request to (1) site.php, (2) auction.php, (3) mail.php, (4) fee_setting.php, (5) earnings.php, (6) insertion_fee_settings.php, (7) custom_category.php, (8) subcategory.php, (9) category.php, (10) report.php, (11) store_manager.php, and (12) choose_sell_format.php in admin/, and possibly other vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6965 affects AJ Square AJ Auction software versions including OOPD, Pro Platinum Skin #1, Pro Platinum Skin #2, and Web 2.0 implementations. This represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that stems from improper input validation and access control mechanisms within the administrative components of the auction platform. The vulnerability manifests when specific administrative scripts are accessed directly through URL parameters without proper authentication checks, allowing unauthorized users to gain administrative privileges and access sensitive functionality.
The technical flaw resides in the software's failure to implement proper exit mechanisms when certain administrative scripts are invoked directly. When attackers make direct requests to files such as site.php, auction.php, mail.php, fee_setting.php, earnings.php, insertion_fee_settings.php, custom_category.php, subcategory.php, category.php, report.php, store_manager.php, and choose_sell_format.php located within the admin/ directory, the applications fail to terminate execution properly. This design flaw creates a pathway where authentication verification occurs but does not prevent further execution, enabling attackers to bypass the normal authentication flow and access restricted administrative functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote attackers to completely circumvent the authentication system of the auction platform. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability from any location without requiring prior access credentials, potentially gaining full administrative control over the auction system. This includes access to financial data, user management capabilities, auction configuration settings, and other sensitive administrative functions that should only be accessible to authorized personnel. The vulnerability affects multiple administrative endpoints, increasing the attack surface and potential damage scope.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-285: Improper Authorization and CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery, as it represents a failure in access control validation and allows unauthorized access to protected resources. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this maps to T1078: Valid Accounts and T1566: Phishing, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to administrative accounts and potentially use the compromised system for further attacks. The vulnerability also aligns with T1190: Exploit Public-Facing Application and T1212: Exploitation for Credential Access, as it represents a direct exploitation of a web application vulnerability to obtain administrative privileges.
Mitigation strategies should include implementing proper input validation and exit mechanisms within all administrative scripts to ensure that unauthorized access attempts are properly terminated. The software should enforce strict authentication checks at the beginning of all administrative functions, with immediate exit procedures when authentication fails. Additionally, access controls should be implemented at the web server level to prevent direct access to administrative scripts, and all administrative endpoints should be protected through proper session management and authentication verification. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future implementations.