CVE-2010-3305 in Pixelpost
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in pixelpost 1.7.3 could allow remote attackers to change the admin password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2019
The CVE-2010-3305 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in the pixelpost content management system version 1.7.3. This vulnerability resides within the application's authentication and session management mechanisms, specifically targeting the administrative password change functionality. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate administrative accounts without requiring valid credentials, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that rely on proper access controls. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection measures in the password change endpoint, which allows malicious actors to craft specially crafted requests that appear legitimate to the target system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fundamental weakness in how pixelpost handles administrative requests. When an administrator performs a password change operation, the application should validate that the request originates from an authenticated user session and contains appropriate anti-CSRF tokens. However, the 1.7.3 version of pixelpost fails to implement these security controls properly, leaving the password change functionality exposed to unauthorized modifications. This flaw operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various means including phishing attacks, malicious websites, or compromised user sessions that are tricked into executing unintended administrative actions. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the administrative interface. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability gains full administrative control over the pixelpost installation, enabling them to modify content, delete files, access sensitive data, and potentially use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the network. The implications are particularly severe given that many web applications use similar patterns for administrative functions, making this vulnerability a potential template for similar flaws in other systems. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which covers credential harvesting through social engineering.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the pixelpost application. The most effective approach involves implementing anti-CSRF tokens that are generated per session and validated on each administrative request. These tokens should be unique for each user session and embedded within forms and requests to ensure that unauthorized modifications cannot occur. Additionally, the application should implement proper session management controls including secure cookie attributes, session timeout mechanisms, and regular session regeneration. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as two-factor authentication for administrative accounts and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of following secure coding practices and implementing comprehensive security controls in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive administrative functions. Organizations using pixelpost should immediately upgrade to patched versions or implement compensating controls to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.