CVE-2008-7192 in Burning Board
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in index.php in WoltLab Burning Board (wBB) 3.0.1, and possibly other 3.x versions, allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of users for requests that delete private messages via the pmID parameter in a delete action in a PM page, a different vulnerability than CVE-2008-0472.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/03/2025
The CVE-2008-7192 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the WoltLab Burning Board 3.0.1 forum software, specifically affecting the private messaging functionality. This vulnerability resides in the index.php file and operates by exploiting the absence of proper authentication verification mechanisms when processing delete requests for private messages. The flaw enables malicious actors to construct specially crafted web pages or links that, when clicked by authenticated forum users, automatically execute deletion commands without the user's knowledge or explicit consent. The vulnerability specifically targets the pmID parameter within the PM page's delete action functionality, making it particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to remove private messages that users may consider sensitive or confidential.
From a technical perspective, this CSRF vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF tokens or referer validation checks when processing destructive actions. The flaw operates under CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities as those that permit unauthorized commands from a user that the web application believes to be authenticated. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates in the context of authenticated sessions, meaning that an attacker does not need to know specific user credentials or passwords to exploit this weakness. Instead, they can leverage the existing authenticated session of a victim user to perform unauthorized actions. The attack vector typically involves sending a malicious link or embedding a crafted form within another website that, when executed by an authenticated user, triggers the deletion of private messages through the pmID parameter.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple message deletion, as it represents a significant breach of user privacy and trust within the forum environment. Private messages often contain sensitive personal information, communications between users, or confidential discussions that may be subject to legal or regulatory requirements. When an attacker can delete these messages without user consent, they effectively compromise the integrity of the communication channel and potentially disrupt legitimate forum activities. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor security design principles and inadequate input validation, as the application fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same domain or that proper authentication tokens are present. This flaw can be exploited in conjunction with other attacks to create more complex attack scenarios, potentially leading to session hijacking or further privilege escalation within the forum system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-7192 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the application code. The most effective approach involves generating unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session and requiring these tokens to be present in all state-changing requests, particularly those involving destructive actions like message deletion. The implementation should follow established security best practices and align with the principles outlined in the OWASP CSRF Prevention Cheat Sheet. Additionally, the application should validate the referer header to ensure requests originate from legitimate sources within the same domain, though this method alone is insufficient as it can be bypassed or spoofed. Organizations should also consider implementing proper session management practices, including regular session regeneration and secure cookie attributes. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security audits and code reviews to identify and address authentication and authorization flaws. Furthermore, the use of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against cross-site scripting and related attacks that might exploit similar weaknesses. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of implementing comprehensive security controls in web applications, particularly those handling user-generated content and private communications.