CVE-2010-2345 in odCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in odCMS 1.06, and possibly earlier, allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change the administrative password, and other unspecified requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2345 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within odCMS version 1.06 and potentially earlier iterations. This CSRF vulnerability fundamentally undermines the authentication mechanisms of the content management system by enabling malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between authenticated administrators and the web application. The flaw specifically targets administrative functions, particularly those involving password changes and other unspecified administrative operations, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on this platform for content management. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-352 directly aligns with the well-known weakness of cross-site request forgery, where an attacker can trick a legitimate user into executing unauthorized actions without their knowledge or consent. This type of vulnerability falls squarely within the ATT&CK framework under the T1566 technique category, specifically targeting credential access through web application attacks.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the administrative interfaces of odCMS. When administrators perform administrative tasks such as changing passwords or modifying system configurations, the application fails to verify that the requests originate from legitimate sources within the authenticated session. Attackers can construct malicious web pages or send targeted emails containing specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, will perform unauthorized actions. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple password changes, as the description indicates that other unspecified requests are also susceptible to exploitation, potentially allowing attackers to gain full administrative control over the CMS. This lack of request origin verification creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited through social engineering techniques, phishing campaigns, or by compromising user sessions through various attack vectors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, particularly for organizations using odCMS for critical content management operations. Once exploited, an attacker gains the ability to silently change administrative passwords, effectively locking out legitimate administrators while simultaneously assuming full control over the content management system. This compromise can lead to complete system takeover, data exfiltration, defacement of web content, and potential lateral movement within the organization's network infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not require physical access or network-level privileges to execute successful attacks. Organizations may experience service disruption, regulatory compliance violations, and potential legal consequences due to the unauthorized modification of content management systems. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability affects the administrative password change functionality, which is one of the most critical operations within any CMS platform, making it a prime target for attackers seeking persistent access to systems.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security posture improvements. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing robust anti-CSRF token mechanisms that are generated per session and validated on all administrative requests. Organizations should ensure that all form submissions and AJAX requests containing administrative functions include unique, unpredictable tokens that are tied to the user's session. This approach directly addresses the underlying CWE-352 weakness by preventing unauthorized requests from being processed without proper authentication tokens. Additionally, implementing proper referer header validation and same-site cookie attributes can provide additional layers of protection against CSRF attacks. Security patches should be applied immediately to upgrade odCMS to versions that contain CSRF protection mechanisms, while organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications within the organization's infrastructure, as CSRF vulnerabilities are commonly found in legacy systems and are often overlooked during initial security reviews. The remediation process should also include comprehensive staff training on recognizing social engineering attempts and understanding the importance of CSRF protection in web application security.