CVE-2009-4906 in Acc PHP eMail
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in index.php in Acc PHP eMail 1.1 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change passwords.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2025
The CVE-2009-4906 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Acc PHP eMail version 1.1 that specifically targets administrator authentication sessions. This vulnerability operates by exploiting the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms in the application's web interface, allowing remote attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed without the administrator's knowledge or consent. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it directly compromises the authentication system, enabling attackers to manipulate administrative functions through forged requests that appear legitimate to the web application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to validate the origin of requests made to the index.php endpoint. When administrators perform actions such as changing passwords, the application does not implement sufficient CSRF protection measures such as anti-forgery tokens or referer validation. This allows attackers to create malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in other web applications to submit requests that modify administrator credentials. The vulnerability specifically affects the password change functionality, making it possible for unauthorized parties to gain control over administrative accounts without needing valid credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the affected system. Once an attacker successfully hijacks an administrator's session through CSRF attacks, they can perform any action permitted by the administrator's privileges, including modifying user accounts, accessing sensitive data, changing system configurations, and potentially establishing persistent access through backdoor creation. The vulnerability's remote nature means attackers do not require physical access to the system or knowledge of administrator credentials, making it particularly attractive for automated exploitation campaigns. This type of attack can lead to complete system compromise and data breaches, especially in environments where the application handles sensitive email communications.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for the initial compromise through web-based attacks. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including the addition of anti-CSRF tokens to all state-changing requests, implementing proper referer header validation, and ensuring that all administrative functions require explicit user confirmation. Additionally, the application should be updated to a patched version that properly implements CSRF protection mechanisms, and network segmentation should be considered to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Regular security assessments and input validation reviews should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future development cycles.