CVE-2009-2040 in Grestul
Summary
by MITRE
admin/options.php in Grestul 1.2 does not properly restrict access, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and create administrative accounts via a manage_admin action in a direct request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-2040 affects Grestul 1.2, a content management system that suffers from a critical authentication bypass flaw in its administrative interface. This issue stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the admin/options.php file, specifically in how the system handles the manage_admin action parameter. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute unauthorized administrative functions without proper authentication credentials, fundamentally undermining the security model of the application.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation and access restriction implementation within the application's administrative routing logic. When a malicious actor sends a direct request containing the manage_admin action parameter to the admin/options.php endpoint, the system fails to verify whether the requester possesses legitimate administrative privileges. This represents a classic authorization bypass vulnerability where the application assumes that legitimate administrative actions can be performed without proper authentication checks, creating an attack vector that directly contradicts fundamental security principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to create new administrative accounts within the compromised system. This capability transforms a simple authentication bypass into a full system compromise, allowing adversaries to establish persistent access and maintain control over the affected application. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the system, as attackers can modify administrative settings, access sensitive data, and potentially use the created accounts for further lateral movement within the network infrastructure.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which categorizes improper authorization issues in software systems, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1543 for creating or modifying system processes. The flaw represents a failure in the principle of least privilege, where administrative functions should require explicit authentication before execution. Organizations using Grestul 1.2 should immediately implement access control patches and consider network segmentation to limit exposure. The remediation involves implementing proper authentication checks for all administrative endpoints and ensuring that all actions requiring elevated privileges are properly validated before execution. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual administrative activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.