CVE-2010-1547 in CTools
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the Chaos Tool Suite (aka CTools) module 6.x before 6.x-1.4 for Drupal allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) enable a page via a q=admin/build/pages/nojs/enable/ value or (2) disable a page via a q=admin/build/pages/nojs/disable/ value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2019
The Chaos Tool Suite module for Drupal represents a critical security vulnerability classified as CVE-2010-1547, which exposes multiple cross-site request forgery flaws in versions prior to 6.x-1.4. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative functionality of Drupal websites, creating a dangerous attack vector that allows remote adversaries to manipulate administrative sessions. The flaw operates through the module's handling of administrative page management functions, where attackers can craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the Drupal system due to the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of specific URL parameters within the Drupal administrative interface. Attackers can exploit the q=admin/build/pages/nojs/enable/ and q=admin/build/pages/nojs/disable/ endpoints to perform unauthorized administrative actions without proper authentication. These endpoints lack the necessary anti-CSRF tokens or session validation that would normally prevent unauthorized requests from being processed. The vulnerability stems from the module's failure to implement proper request verification mechanisms, making it susceptible to exploitation through crafted web pages or email attachments that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable Drupal installation.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-1547 is severe for Drupal administrators, as successful exploitation allows attackers to completely hijack administrative sessions and perform critical system modifications. When an administrator visits a malicious website containing the crafted CSRF payload, the attacker can silently enable or disable pages within the Drupal administration interface, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability particularly affects websites that rely on the Chaos Tool Suite module for administrative page management and could result in unauthorized content modification, privilege escalation, or even complete system takeover depending on the administrative privileges of the compromised user.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 - Phishing, as attackers typically exploit this weakness through social engineering campaigns that trick administrators into visiting malicious sites. The vulnerability also connects to T1078 - Valid Accounts, as it allows attackers to leverage legitimate administrative credentials without requiring additional authentication. Organizations using Drupal with the CTools module should immediately implement mitigations including updating to version 6.x-1.4 or later, implementing proper CSRF protection measures, and conducting security audits to identify potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, administrators should review their web application firewall rules to detect and block suspicious requests to administrative endpoints, and consider implementing additional authentication layers such as two-factor authentication to reduce the risk of successful exploitation.