CVE-2010-3671 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 is open to a session fixation attack which allows remote attackers to hijack a victim's session.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-3671 represents a critical session management flaw affecting TYPO3 content management systems across multiple version branches. This issue stems from inadequate session handling mechanisms that fail to properly regenerate session identifiers upon successful authentication, creating a persistent security weakness that enables remote attackers to exploit session fixation attacks. The vulnerability specifically impacts TYPO3 installations running versions prior to 4.1.14, 4.2.13, 4.3.4, and 4.4.1, representing a significant portion of the TYPO3 user base during that period.
The technical implementation flaw occurs within the authentication process where the system does not adequately invalidate or regenerate session tokens when users log in successfully. This allows an attacker who has already established a session with a known session identifier to manipulate the authentication flow and effectively hijack a victim's authenticated session. The vulnerability falls under CWE-384, which specifically addresses session fixation issues where the application fails to properly handle session identifiers during authentication. When an attacker can predict or obtain a valid session ID, they can reuse it to impersonate legitimate users, bypassing authentication mechanisms entirely.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential data breaches, privilege escalation, and complete system compromise. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain administrative privileges on affected TYPO3 installations, particularly when targeting content management interfaces where users may have elevated permissions. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication as it exploits fundamental session management weaknesses that are typically present in legacy systems or improperly configured applications. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1565.001 which covers credential hijacking through session fixation attacks, making it a particularly attractive target for threat actors seeking persistent access to web applications.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the available patches and updates provided by TYPO3 developers to address the session management deficiencies. The recommended mitigations include upgrading to the patched versions mentioned in the CVE description, implementing proper session regeneration upon authentication, and configuring applications to use secure session handling practices. Additionally, organizations should review their session management configurations to ensure that session identifiers are properly invalidated and regenerated during authentication processes. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual session behavior patterns, and security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of all web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities in other systems. The remediation efforts should also include implementing proper session timeout mechanisms and ensuring that session cookies are configured with appropriate security attributes such as HttpOnly and Secure flags to prevent client-side script access and ensure transmission over encrypted channels only.