CVE-2010-2136 in Article Friendly
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in admin/index.php in Article Friendly, when magic_quotes_gpc is disabled, allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the filename parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2136 represents a critical directory traversal flaw within the Article Friendly web application's administrative interface. This weakness specifically affects the admin/index.php component where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being used in file operations. The vulnerability becomes exploitable when the PHP configuration parameter magic_quotes_gpc is disabled, which removes the automatic escaping of special characters that would otherwise prevent malicious input from being interpreted as directory traversal sequences.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability relies on the manipulation of the filename parameter through directory traversal sequences using the .. (dot dot) notation. When an attacker crafts a malicious request containing sequences such as ../../etc/passwd or similar paths, the application fails to validate or sanitize these inputs properly. The absence of magic_quotes_gpc means that the application cannot rely on automatic escaping mechanisms that would normally neutralize such malicious inputs. This allows attackers to navigate outside the intended directory structure and access arbitrary files on the server's file system.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to system security as it enables unauthorized file access that could lead to information disclosure, privilege escalation, and potential system compromise. Attackers can leverage this flaw to read sensitive system files including configuration files, database credentials, application source code, and other confidential data that should remain protected. The vulnerability affects not only the administrative interface but also potentially exposes the underlying application architecture and server configuration details that could be used for further exploitation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-22, which specifically addresses Directory Traversal and Path Traversal vulnerabilities in software applications. This classification indicates that the flaw represents a fundamental weakness in input validation and file access control mechanisms. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1566 (Phishing with Malicious Attachment) as attackers can use the information gained from directory traversal to craft more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability also relates to T1213 (Data from Information Repositories) as it provides unauthorized access to stored data within the application's file system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening. The primary fix involves implementing proper input validation and sanitization of all user-supplied parameters before they are used in file operations. This includes implementing strict whitelisting of acceptable file names, implementing proper path validation that prevents directory traversal sequences, and ensuring that all file operations occur within designated safe directories. Additionally, organizations should enforce the use of magic_quotes_gpc or implement equivalent input sanitization mechanisms. Regular security audits and code reviews should focus on file handling operations to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future development cycles. System administrators should also implement proper access controls and monitoring to detect unusual file access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.