CVE-2009-3818 in Sr Freecap
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the session handling feature in freeCap CAPTCHA (sr_freecap) extension 1.2.0 and earlier for TYPO3 has unknown impact and attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3818 affects the freeCap CAPTCHA extension version 1.2.0 and earlier within the TYPO3 content management system. This issue resides within the session handling mechanisms of the sr_freecap extension, which is designed to provide CAPTCHA functionality for preventing automated form submissions. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability indicates that the exact technical flaw remains undetermined, though it is classified as a session handling weakness that could potentially compromise the security of user authentication and authorization processes within TYPO3 installations.
The session handling feature in TYPO3 extensions plays a critical role in maintaining user state and security context throughout web interactions. When vulnerabilities exist within these mechanisms, attackers can potentially exploit them to hijack user sessions, bypass authentication controls, or manipulate session data to gain unauthorized access to protected resources. The freeCap extension specifically handles CAPTCHA validation, which means that any session handling flaw could allow attackers to circumvent CAPTCHA protections and potentially automate form submissions or perform spam attacks at scale. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the integrity of the authentication and authorization framework that TYPO3 relies upon for securing user sessions and preventing unauthorized access to administrative functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks against TYPO3 installations. Attackers could leverage session handling flaws to perform privilege escalation, access restricted administrative panels, or manipulate user sessions to gain persistent access to systems. Given that CAPTCHA mechanisms are often used to protect against automated attacks and spam, a vulnerability in this area could allow attackers to bypass these protections entirely. The attack vectors remain unspecified but would likely involve session manipulation techniques, including session fixation, session prediction, or session cookie theft that could be executed through various means such as cross-site scripting attacks, man-in-the-middle interception, or direct session manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the freeCap extension to versions that address the session handling issues. Organizations using TYPO3 installations with this extension should conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement proper session management practices. The remediation process should include updating to the latest stable version of the sr_freecap extension, implementing secure session handling configurations, and monitoring for unusual session activity patterns. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as session timeout mechanisms, secure cookie attributes, and regular security auditing of third-party extensions to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components of their TYPO3 installations. This vulnerability aligns with common weakness patterns documented in CWE-306 and CWE-307 related to improper session handling and authentication mechanisms, and could potentially map to ATT&CK techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation through session manipulation.