CVE-2009-0969 in phpFoX
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in account/settings/account/index.php in phpFoX 1.6.21 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change the email address via the act[update] action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2018
The CVE-2009-0969 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in the phpFoX content management system version 1.6.21. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative account settings functionality, where the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF protection mechanisms. The flaw exists within the account/index.php file which processes administrative actions through the act[update] parameter, making it susceptible to malicious exploitation by remote attackers who can manipulate administrative sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar session validation mechanisms in the administrative settings update process. When administrators access the account settings page to modify their email address, the application does not verify that the request originates from a legitimate administrative session. This allows attackers to craft malicious web pages or exploit existing user sessions to submit forged requests that update administrative email addresses without proper authorization. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the administrative level, potentially enabling complete account takeover and privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple email address modification, as it provides attackers with a foothold for further exploitation within the administrative interface. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to gain persistent access to administrative accounts, modify critical system configurations, or establish backdoors for continued unauthorized access. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of administrative sessions, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This type of flaw directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and represents a clear violation of proper session management practices.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-0969 should include immediate implementation of anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms throughout the administrative interface. Security professionals should ensure that all administrative actions require valid session tokens that are tied to the user's current session and are validated server-side before processing any administrative requests. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions, and corresponds to techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and credential access tactics. Organizations should also implement proper input validation, session management, and regular security audits to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other application components.