CVE-2009-0408 in osCommerce
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in osCommerce 2.2 RC 2a allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2018
The CVE-2009-0408 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw identified in the widely used osCommerce 2.2 RC 2a e-commerce platform. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative authentication mechanisms, creating a significant security risk for online stores that rely on this version of the software. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection measures, allowing them to perform unauthorized administrative actions on behalf of legitimate administrators without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or proper validation mechanisms within the administrative interfaces of osCommerce 2.2 RC 2a. When administrators interact with the administrative panel, the application fails to verify the authenticity of requests originating from authorized users. This design flaw directly violates the fundamental security principle of ensuring that all administrative operations require proper authentication and authorization verification. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, specifically affecting web forms and administrative endpoints that process sensitive operations such as user management, configuration changes, and product modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft or modification. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw can gain complete administrative control over the compromised osCommerce installation, potentially leading to full system compromise. This includes the ability to modify product catalogs, alter pricing structures, manipulate customer data, change administrative credentials, and even install malicious code or backdoors within the web application. The implications are particularly severe for e-commerce environments where financial transactions and customer data are processed, as the attacker could potentially redirect funds, steal sensitive information, or disrupt business operations entirely.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. This classification indicates that the flaw represents a well-documented and commonly exploited security vulnerability pattern that affects web applications lacking proper request validation mechanisms. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1548.002, which covers abuse of cloud compute infrastructure through the exploitation of application-level vulnerabilities. The attack vector typically involves crafting malicious web pages or email attachments that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable osCommerce installation, effectively hijacking the administrator's session and executing unauthorized commands.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the affected osCommerce installation. The most effective approach involves implementing unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that must be validated on every administrative request. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security measures including proper session management, input validation, and regular security audits. The recommended solution includes upgrading to a supported version of osCommerce that addresses this vulnerability, as the affected version 2.2 RC 2a is no longer maintained and lacks security updates. Security professionals should also implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while ensuring that administrative interfaces are properly secured with strong authentication mechanisms and access controls.