CVE-2008-7056 in Grayscalecms
Summary
by MITRE
BandSite CMS 1.1.4 does not perform access control for adminpanel/phpmydump.php, which allows remote attackers to obtain copies of the database via a direct request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-7056 affects BandSite CMS version 1.1.4 and represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of the content management system. This issue resides within the administrative panel component of the application where the phpmydump.php file lacks proper authentication mechanisms. The flaw allows unauthenticated remote attackers to directly access sensitive database backup functionality, bypassing all intended security controls and administrative access restrictions.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability constitutes a classic improper access control scenario that aligns with CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization in security-critical functions. The vulnerability exists because the application fails to validate user credentials or session tokens before permitting access to the database dump functionality. This creates a direct attack vector where malicious actors can construct specific HTTP requests to access the phpmydump.php endpoint without requiring legitimate administrative credentials or prior authentication. The flaw essentially provides a backdoor access point to the database backup mechanism that should only be available to authorized administrators.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Remote attackers can obtain complete copies of the underlying database, including sensitive information such as user credentials, personal data, application configuration details, and potentially proprietary content. This exposure can lead to data breaches, identity theft, and unauthorized access to sensitive information stored within the CMS. The vulnerability also enables attackers to potentially escalate their privileges further by examining database structures, identifying additional attack surfaces, and extracting credentials that may be used for lateral movement within the network. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1213.002 (Data from Information Repositories) and T1078 (Valid Accounts) as it enables unauthorized data access and potential credential harvesting.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental security weakness in the application's architecture where administrative functions are not properly secured. This flaw represents a failure in the principle of least privilege, where sensitive administrative operations should require explicit authentication and authorization before execution. The vulnerability also highlights poor security design practices where the application does not implement proper input validation or access control checks for administrative endpoints. Security practitioners should note that this type of vulnerability often indicates broader architectural issues within the application's security model, potentially affecting other administrative functions that may suffer from similar access control flaws.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of access controls for the phpmydump.php endpoint, ensuring that all administrative functions require proper authentication and authorization before execution. Organizations should implement proper session management, enforce strong authentication mechanisms, and apply the principle of least privilege to all administrative components. The recommended remediation involves patching the application to version 1.1.5 or later where access control has been properly implemented, or implementing temporary workarounds such as disabling the database dump functionality entirely. Additionally, network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to administrative endpoints to trusted networks only, while regular security audits should be conducted to identify similar access control flaws in other components of the application stack.