CVE-2009-3442 in Meta tags
Summary
by MITRE
The Meta tags (aka Nodewords) module before 6.x-1.1 for Drupal does not properly follow permissions during assignment of node meta tags, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3442 affects the Meta tags module, also known as Nodewords, within the Drupal content management system. This issue exists in versions prior to 6.x-1.1 and represents a significant security flaw that undermines the permission system designed to protect sensitive information. The vulnerability specifically targets the module's handling of node meta tag assignments, creating a potential pathway for unauthorized access to confidential data through improper permission enforcement mechanisms.
The technical flaw stems from the module's failure to properly validate user permissions when assigning meta tags to nodes within the Drupal environment. This misconfiguration allows remote attackers to exploit the system by leveraging unspecified vectors that bypass the intended access controls. The vulnerability essentially creates a scenario where users with insufficient privileges can manipulate or access meta tag information that should be restricted based on their role and permissions within the Drupal system. This represents a classic case of insufficient access control validation that violates fundamental security principles.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a serious risk to organizations relying on Drupal for content management, particularly those handling sensitive or confidential information. Attackers could potentially extract metadata that reveals information about the site structure, content types, or administrative configurations that should remain hidden from unauthorized users. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks that could leverage the leaked metadata for further exploitation. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a critical failure in the principle of least privilege enforcement within the Drupal permission system.
The security implications of this vulnerability are particularly concerning given that it affects a core module functionality that is widely used across Drupal installations. Organizations running affected versions of the Meta tags module are exposed to potential data leakage that could compromise the confidentiality of their content management systems. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple exploitation paths may exist, making the vulnerability more dangerous and harder to defend against comprehensively. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to gather intelligence about the target environment that could facilitate subsequent attacks, aligning with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under initial access and reconnaissance phases.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the affected module to version 6.x-1.1 or later, which contains the necessary permission enforcement fixes. Organizations should also conduct thorough audits of their Drupal installations to identify any other potentially vulnerable modules that may exhibit similar permission handling flaws. Network segmentation and monitoring of unusual meta tag access patterns can provide additional defense-in-depth measures. Regular security assessments of Drupal modules and their interaction with the core permission system should become standard practice to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future. The incident underscores the importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in web application security, particularly in content management systems where metadata handling is critical to overall security posture.