CVE-2009-4849 in VirtualIQ
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in ToutVirtual VirtualIQ Pro 3.2 build 7882 and 3.5 build 8691 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) create a new user account via a save action to tvserver/user/user.do, (2) shutdown a virtual machine, (3) start a virtual machine, (4) restart a virtual machine, or (5) schedule an activity.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2024
The CVE-2009-4849 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting ToutVirtual VirtualIQ Pro versions 3.2 build 7882 and 3.5 build 8691. This vulnerability resides within the web-based administration interface of the virtualization management software, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this platform. The flaw stems from the application's insufficient validation of incoming requests, particularly those originating from authenticated administrator sessions. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized administrative actions without possessing valid credentials, effectively bypassing the authentication mechanism through maliciously crafted web requests.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the application's user interface elements and form submissions. Specifically, the vulnerability affects the tvserver/user/user.do endpoint which handles user account creation operations, along with several critical virtual machine management functions including shutdown, start, restart, and scheduling activities. These operations are typically protected by session-based authentication, but the missing CSRF token validation allows attackers to forge requests that appear legitimate to the server. The vulnerability manifests when an authenticated administrator visits a malicious website containing embedded requests that automatically submit commands to the vulnerable VirtualIQ Pro interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations using ToutVirtual VirtualIQ Pro. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability can gain complete administrative control over the virtualization environment, enabling them to create unauthorized user accounts, manipulate virtual machine states, and schedule malicious activities. This level of access could result in system compromise, data exfiltration, service disruption, and potential lateral movement within the network. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed through simple web-based techniques, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently browse untrusted websites or where social engineering attacks are common.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to address this vulnerability, beginning with immediate patching of affected versions or upgrading to supported releases. The implementation of anti-CSRF tokens should be enforced across all administrative functions, with proper validation mechanisms that verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate user sessions. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the VirtualIQ Pro interface to trusted administrative networks only. Additionally, regular security assessments and web application firewalls should be deployed to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws, and represents a common attack vector categorized under ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content. Organizations should also consider implementing user education programs to prevent administrators from visiting untrusted websites while logged into administrative interfaces, as this represents a critical human factor in preventing exploitation of CSRF vulnerabilities.