CVE-2009-0648 in Falt4 Extreme
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the manage_users handler in admin/index.php in Falt4 CMS (aka Falt4 Extreme) RC4 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change passwords via the (1) edit and (2) edit_now actions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2017
The CVE-2009-0648 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in the Falt4 CMS administrative interface, specifically within the manage_users handler located in admin/index.php. This vulnerability affects version RC4 of the Falt4 Extreme CMS and exposes administrators to significant security risks through the manipulation of administrative functions. The flaw manifests in two distinct attack vectors through the edit and edit_now actions, which are designed to modify user account information including password changes. The vulnerability exploits the absence of proper authentication token validation mechanisms within the administrative interface, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted requests that appear to originate from authenticated administrators.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the lack of anti-CSRF tokens in the administrative user management functions. When administrators navigate to the user management interface, the system fails to generate and validate unique, unpredictable tokens for each request. This absence creates a condition where an attacker can construct malicious web pages or email attachments containing embedded requests that automatically submit administrative actions when an authenticated administrator visits the malicious content. The vulnerability specifically targets password modification operations, making it particularly dangerous as successful exploitation could lead to complete administrative account compromise and unauthorized access to the entire CMS infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the CMS administrative interface. Attackers can leverage this flaw to silently change administrator passwords without requiring legitimate credentials, effectively gaining persistent access to the administrative control panel. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that these vulnerabilities are accessible through common web browser interactions, making exploitation relatively straightforward for attackers with basic web development knowledge. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and authentication integrity, as the system fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than crafted malicious payloads.
Security practitioners should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of CSRF implementation failures that align with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.002, which covers phishing with malicious attachments, as attackers could potentially deliver CSRF payloads through email campaigns targeting administrators. The remediation approach requires implementing robust CSRF protection mechanisms including the generation and validation of unique tokens for each administrative action, implementing strict referer header validation, and ensuring proper session management controls. Organizations using Falt4 CMS should immediately apply patches or implement custom CSRF protection measures, as the vulnerability represents a high-severity risk that could lead to complete system compromise and data breach scenarios.