CVE-2009-0807 in zFeeder
Summary
by MITRE
zFeeder 1.6 allows remote attackers to gain administrative access via a direct request to admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0807 affects zFeeder version 1.6, a web-based content management system that facilitates feed aggregation and distribution. This critical security flaw represents a direct privilege escalation vulnerability that allows remote attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and assume administrative control over the affected system. The vulnerability stems from improper access control implementation within the application's administrative interface, specifically targeting the admin.php endpoint which serves as the primary administrative access point.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a straightforward yet dangerous method where attackers can directly request the admin.php file without providing any authentication credentials or session tokens. This flaw indicates a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture, where the system does not properly verify user privileges or authenticate requests before granting access to administrative functions. The vulnerability essentially creates an authentication bypass that allows any remote user to access the administrative panel and perform privileged actions such as modifying system configurations, adding or removing users, accessing sensitive data, or executing arbitrary commands within the application's scope.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to organizations relying on zFeeder 1.6 for content management and feed distribution. Successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise, data breaches, service disruption, and potential lateral movement within network environments where the application resides. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access or prior credentials. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by automated scanning tools and increases the attack surface significantly.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software applications, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for phishing, as the vulnerability allows attackers to assume administrative roles without legitimate credentials. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, implementing network segmentation to restrict access to administrative endpoints, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and block direct requests to admin.php. Additionally, the application should be configured with proper access controls, authentication mechanisms, and regular security audits to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future versions. The incident highlights the critical importance of proper access control implementation and the necessity of conducting thorough security assessments during application development and deployment phases.