CVE-2010-3666 in TYPO3
Summary
by MITRE
TYPO3 before 4.1.14, 4.2.x before 4.2.13, 4.3.x before 4.3.4 and 4.4.x before 4.4.1 contains insecure randomness in the uniqid function.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3666 affects TYPO3 content management systems across multiple version branches including 4.1.13 and earlier, 4.2.12 and earlier, 4.3.3 and earlier, and 4.4.0 and earlier releases. This weakness resides in the implementation of the uniqid function which generates unique identifiers for various system operations. The insecure randomness in this function creates predictable sequences that can be exploited by malicious actors to compromise system security. The flaw represents a significant concern for web applications relying on TYPO3 as it undermines the fundamental security assumptions of unique identifier generation.
The technical flaw manifests in the cryptographic weakness of the uniqid function implementation where the random number generation does not provide sufficient entropy or unpredictability. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-330, which addresses insufficient entropy in random number generators, and CWE-331, covering insufficient randomness in security tokens. The predictable nature of identifiers generated by this function allows attackers to anticipate and potentially manipulate system-generated values that should remain unpredictable. This weakness particularly affects session management, CSRF protection tokens, and other security-sensitive operations that depend on unique identifiers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple predictability issues as it can enable various attack vectors including session hijacking, cross-site request forgery attacks, and privilege escalation attempts. When attackers can predict unique identifiers, they can potentially impersonate legitimate users, manipulate system operations, or bypass security controls that rely on these identifiers for protection. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of TYPO3 installations, particularly those handling sensitive user data or administrative functions. The scope of impact includes all system components that utilize the flawed uniqid function, making it a critical vulnerability requiring immediate attention.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-3666 involve upgrading to patched versions of TYPO3 as specified in the advisory, with the recommended versions being 4.1.14, 4.2.13, 4.3.4, and 4.4.1 respectively. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as monitoring for unusual patterns in identifier generation and strengthening overall session management practices. Security teams should consider implementing entropy monitoring and validation of identifier generation processes as part of their security posture. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper random number generation in security-critical applications and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through predictable system identifiers. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify all instances of the vulnerable function usage and ensure complete remediation across their TYPO3 installations.