CVE-2008-7309 in Insoshi
Summary
by MITRE
Insoshi before 20080920 does not properly restrict the use of a hash to provide values for a model s attributes, which allows remote attackers to set the ForumPost user_id value via a modified URL, related to a "mass assignment" vulnerability.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-7309 represents a critical mass assignment flaw in the Insoshi web application framework that existed prior to version 20080920. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-917 weakness category, specifically classified as "Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')", though more accurately it aligns with CWE-459 which describes "Incomplete Implementation of a Security Feature". The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly validate and restrict user input parameters that are used to populate model attributes, creating an avenue for unauthorized modification of sensitive data fields.
The technical mechanism of this vulnerability involves the application's handling of hash-based parameter assignment within its model binding process. When users submit data through URLs or form parameters, the system processes these inputs as a hash object and directly assigns values to model attributes without proper sanitization or access control checks. This allows attackers to manipulate the parameter structure to include fields that should normally be protected or restricted, such as the user_id field in the ForumPost model. The vulnerability specifically enables remote attackers to modify the user_id value in ForumPost records by crafting a modified URL that includes the user_id parameter, bypassing normal authentication and authorization controls that should prevent such modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows for unauthorized data manipulation and potential privilege escalation within the application. An attacker who can craft malicious URLs can essentially impersonate other users by setting the user_id field to any valid user identifier, potentially gaining access to content, modifying records, or performing actions that should be restricted to specific user roles. This vulnerability directly undermines the application's integrity and authentication mechanisms, potentially leading to data corruption, unauthorized access to user information, and compromise of user accounts within the Insoshi platform.
The vulnerability can be mapped to several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as it enables attackers to manipulate user identities and potentially gain unauthorized access through crafted URL parameters. Additionally, it relates to T1213 Data from Information Repositories, as it allows for unauthorized access to repository data through manipulation of model attributes. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability operates at the framework level, affecting how parameters are processed and assigned to model attributes across the entire application. Organizations should implement proper parameter whitelisting, implement strong input validation, and ensure that only explicitly allowed parameters can modify protected model attributes to prevent such vulnerabilities from being exploited in production environments.