CVE-2009-1459 in razorCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in razorCMS before 0.4 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that create a web page containing PHP code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2018
The CVE-2009-1459 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in razorCMS versions prior to 04. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks that enable unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of authenticated users. The flaw exists within the content management system's authentication mechanisms, creating a pathway for remote attackers to exploit administrative privileges without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from razorCMS's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms for administrative actions. When administrators perform operations such as creating web pages with PHP code, the system does not adequately verify the authenticity of the request origin or ensure that the request was genuinely initiated by the authenticated user. This absence of request validation creates a scenario where malicious actors can craft specially crafted web pages or links that, when clicked by an authenticated administrator, execute unintended administrative operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized administrative access to razorCMS installations, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The ability to create web pages containing PHP code provides attackers with significant control over the server environment, enabling them to execute arbitrary commands, upload malicious files, or modify existing content. This vulnerability directly enables the execution of the ATT&CK technique T1078.004 - Valid Accounts, specifically targeting the use of administrative credentials for unauthorized access.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers with varying skill levels. Once an administrator clicks on a malicious link or visits a compromised webpage, the attacker can perform administrative tasks without the user's knowledge or consent. This creates a persistent threat vector that can remain active as long as the vulnerable system exists, potentially allowing attackers to establish backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data, or cause further damage through additional attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-1459 primarily focus on upgrading to razorCMS version 0.4 or later, which includes proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as input validation, request origin checking, and the implementation of anti-CSRF tokens for all administrative operations. The security community recommends following the principle of least privilege and implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts to reduce the impact of such vulnerabilities. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other applications and systems that may be vulnerable to similar CSRF attacks, as this type of vulnerability continues to be prevalent in web applications across various platforms and technologies.