CVE-2009-2150 in Campus Virtual-LMS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Campus Virtual-LMS allow (1) remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that terminate a session via login/logout.php, and might allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of certain users via a (2) ADD or (3) DELETE action to enrolments/step2.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2024
The CVE-2009-2150 vulnerability targets Campus Virtual-LMS, a learning management system that suffered from multiple cross-site request forgery flaws. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions where attackers can manipulate authenticated users into performing unintended actions. The vulnerability exists in the authentication handling mechanisms of the platform, particularly concerning session management and user enrollment operations.
The technical flaw manifests in the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within critical endpoints of the application. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages or email attachments that contain embedded requests to the vulnerable login/logout.php and enrolments/step2.php scripts. These requests appear to originate from authenticated users, allowing unauthorized session termination or modification of enrollment data. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables attackers to hijack user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive educational data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking, as it compromises the integrity of user enrollment processes and authentication mechanisms. Attackers could terminate legitimate user sessions, forcing them to re-authenticate, or manipulate enrollment data to add or remove users from courses without proper authorization. This creates significant security risks for educational institutions relying on the platform, potentially leading to unauthorized access to course materials, grade manipulation, and disruption of academic activities. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the LMS, undermining trust in the system's security posture.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms throughout the application. This includes generating and validating unique tokens for each user session, implementing proper request origin verification, and ensuring all state-changing operations require explicit user confirmation. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as session timeout mechanisms, proper input validation, and regular security assessments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to OWASP Top 10 security guidelines, particularly those addressing authentication and session management. Furthermore, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering tactics including the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to systems and data.