CVE-2009-3248 in vtiger
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the RSS module in vtiger CRM 5.0.4 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of Admin users for requests that modify the news feed system via the rssurl parameter in a Save action to index.php.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2024
The CVE-2009-3248 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the RSS module of vtiger CRM version 5.0.4, specifically targeting the administrative functionality of the web application. This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which classifies it as a classic CSRF attack vector. The flaw manifests in the way the application processes requests through the index.php endpoint when handling RSS feed configurations, creating an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to manipulate administrative sessions without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the rssurl parameter within the Save action of the RSS module. When an administrator user accesses the news feed system configuration interface, the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms. This absence of session integrity checks means that a remote attacker can craft malicious web pages or email attachments that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to modify the RSS feed settings. The vulnerability specifically targets the administrative context of the application, making it particularly dangerous as it could enable attackers to redirect news feeds to malicious URLs, potentially leading to phishing attacks or the execution of malicious code through compromised feed content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it provides attackers with the capability to hijack administrative sessions and potentially gain deeper access to the vtiger CRM system. Attackers could exploit this flaw to redirect the organization's news feed to malicious domains, creating opportunities for social engineering attacks or credential harvesting. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges since it targets existing administrative sessions, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently access the application. This weakness falls under the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments and can be leveraged for privilege escalation by compromising administrative functionality.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-3248 should focus on implementing robust CSRF protection mechanisms within the vtiger CRM application. Organizations must ensure that all administrative actions include unique, unpredictable anti-CSRF tokens that are validated on each request. The fix should involve modifying the RSS module's Save action to require token validation before processing any feed configuration changes. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing proper input validation and sanitization for all parameters, particularly those related to URL inputs. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and demonstrates how even seemingly minor functionality can present significant security risks when proper validation mechanisms are absent. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect unusual RSS feed configuration changes and establish regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other modules of the CRM system.