CVE-2009-3318 in Com Album
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in the Roland Breedveld Album (com_album) component 1.14 for Joomla! allows remote attackers to access arbitrary directories and have unspecified other impact via a .. (dot dot) in the target parameter to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3318 represents a critical directory traversal flaw within the Roland Breedveld Album component version 1.14 for Joomla! platforms. This security weakness enables malicious actors to exploit improper input validation mechanisms that fail to adequately sanitize user-supplied parameters. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the target parameter in index.php accepts directory traversal sequences using the .. (dot dot) notation, allowing attackers to navigate beyond the intended directory structure and access unauthorized files or directories on the web server.
This directory traversal vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-22, which specifically addresses improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks. The flaw operates by manipulating the target parameter to include sequences that instruct the web application to move up directory levels, effectively bypassing access controls and potentially exposing sensitive system files, configuration data, or other confidential information stored outside the intended web root directory. The attack vector leverages the lack of proper input validation and sanitization within the Joomla! component's parameter handling mechanism.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized file access, as it can lead to comprehensive system compromise and data exfiltration. Attackers can leverage this weakness to access database configuration files, system credentials, application source code, and other sensitive artifacts that may contain authentication tokens, encryption keys, or other critical system information. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the vulnerability description suggest potential additional consequences including privilege escalation, system instability, or the ability to execute arbitrary code on the affected server. This vulnerability particularly affects Joomla! installations running the specific component version, creating a persistent security risk for organizations that have not updated their platforms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-3318 require immediate action to address the root cause through proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. Organizations should prioritize updating the Roland Breedveld Album component to the latest available version that contains patches addressing this directory traversal vulnerability. The recommended approach involves implementing strict input validation that filters or rejects any directory traversal sequences within user-supplied parameters, particularly those that contain .. (dot dot) characters. Security measures should also include restricting file system access permissions for web applications, implementing proper access controls, and conducting comprehensive security audits of all installed Joomla platform infrastructure. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating all user inputs and implementing proper access controls as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques.