CVE-2010-0992 in Pulse
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Pulse CMS Basic 1.2.2 and 1.2.3, and possibly Pulse Pro before 1.3.2, allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of users for requests that (1) upload image files, (2) delete image files, or (3) create blocks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0992 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Pulse CMS versions 1.2.2 and 1.2.3, with potential impact extending to Pulse Pro versions prior to 1.3.2. This CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper authentication validation mechanisms within the CMS's file management and content creation functions, creating a significant security gap that malicious actors can exploit to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The flaw specifically targets three critical operational functions including image file uploads, image file deletions, and block creation processes, all of which are fundamental components of content management systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to craft malicious web pages or email attachments that, when visited by an authenticated Pulse CMS user, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable system without the user's knowledge or consent. This occurs because the CMS fails to implement anti-CSRF tokens or other validation mechanisms that would verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate user sessions. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the trust relationship between the web application and the user's browser, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through social engineering techniques or by embedding malicious code within compromised websites. According to CWE standards, this represents a CWE-352 vulnerability, specifically categorized as Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is classified as a high-severity issue due to its potential for unauthorized actions and privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to potentially compromise the entire content management ecosystem of affected installations. An attacker exploiting this CSRF flaw could upload malicious files to the server, delete critical image assets, or create unauthorized content blocks that might serve as entry points for further attacks. The ability to upload image files provides potential for executing malicious code or establishing persistent backdoors within the CMS environment, while the deletion of image files could cause service disruption or data loss. The creation of unauthorized blocks could lead to defacement of websites, injection of malicious scripts, or the establishment of unauthorized administrative access points. These capabilities align with ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and script injection, and T1566 for credential access through social engineering, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in multi-user CMS environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-0992 should prioritize immediate software updates to versions 1.3.2 or later where the CSRF protection mechanisms have been implemented. Organizations should also deploy additional defensive measures including web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious CSRF patterns, implementation of proper CSRF token validation across all state-changing operations, and regular security audits of CMS configurations. Network segmentation and privileged access controls can help limit the damage if exploitation occurs, while user education regarding suspicious links and attachments remains crucial. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing comprehensive CSRF protection mechanisms at the application level, as outlined in OWASP Top Ten security guidelines, particularly addressing the need for anti-CSRF tokens in all forms and operations that modify application state. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and other browser-based security controls to provide additional layers of protection against this class of attack.