CVE-2010-3449 in Redback
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Redback before 1.2.4, as used in Apache Archiva 1.0 through 1.0.3, 1.1 through 1.1.4, 1.2 through 1.2.2, and 1.3 through 1.3.1; and Apache Continuum 1.3.6, 1.4.0, and 1.1 through 1.2.3.1; allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that modify credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2024
The CVE-2010-3449 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw that affected multiple Apache software products including Archiva and Continuum. This vulnerability stems from inadequate protection mechanisms that fail to validate the origin of HTTP requests, allowing malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between users and web applications. The flaw specifically impacts versions of Redback authentication framework prior to 1.2.4, which was integrated into various Apache projects, creating widespread exposure across the software ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability lies in the absence of proper anti-forgery tokens or origin validation mechanisms within the authentication flow. When administrators perform actions such as credential modifications, the application should verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same domain. However, the vulnerable Redback framework failed to implement robust CSRF protection measures, enabling attackers to craft malicious requests that would be executed with administrative privileges. This weakness aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote attackers to hijack administrative sessions without requiring authentication credentials. An attacker could potentially modify user accounts, change passwords, or perform other privileged actions that compromise system integrity. The vulnerability affects not just individual applications but entire software ecosystems since multiple Apache projects relied on the same vulnerable Redback framework. This creates cascading security risks where exploitation in one component can potentially affect related systems that share the same authentication infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-3449 involve immediate patching of affected software versions to incorporate proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Organizations should implement anti-forgery tokens for all state-changing requests and validate the referer header or use custom headers to ensure request authenticity. The remediation process requires updating to Redback version 1.2.4 or later, which includes proper CSRF protection implementations. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential CSRF vulnerabilities in their software stack, as this flaw demonstrates the importance of consistent security controls across all components of enterprise applications. This vulnerability also highlights the need for adherence to security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers Phishing and credential theft methods that exploit such web application weaknesses.