CVE-2010-3978 in Spree
Summary
by MITRE
Spree 0.11.x before 0.11.2 and 0.30.x before 0.30.0 exchanges data using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) without a mechanism for validating requests, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via vectors involving (1) admin/products.json, (2) admin/users.json, or (3) admin/overview/get_report_data, related to a "JSON hijacking" issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3978 affects the Spree e-commerce platform, specifically versions 0.11.x prior to 0.11.2 and 0.30.x prior to 0.30.0. This security flaw represents a critical information disclosure vulnerability that stems from inadequate request validation mechanisms within the platform's JSON data exchange processes. The issue manifests when the application exposes administrative endpoints that return sensitive data in JSON format without implementing proper authentication or authorization checks, creating a pathway for unauthorized access to confidential information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the platform's failure to validate incoming requests to administrative JSON endpoints, particularly admin/products.json, admin/users.json, and admin/overview/get_report_data. These endpoints are designed to provide administrative functionality but lack proper security controls that would normally be expected in a production environment. The vulnerability is classified as a JSON hijacking issue under CWE-346, which specifically addresses the lack of validation of data sources in web applications. The flaw allows attackers to bypass normal access controls by simply making direct requests to these endpoints, effectively circumventing the application's intended security boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables remote attackers to obtain sensitive information that would normally be restricted to authorized administrative users. The exposed data includes product information, user details, and reporting data that could be used for various malicious purposes including competitive intelligence gathering, user identity theft, or further exploitation of the system. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain insights into the platform's inventory, customer base, and operational metrics without requiring legitimate credentials or authorization. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002, which describes the exploitation of data access vulnerabilities to obtain sensitive information from applications.
The vulnerability exists due to the absence of proper request validation mechanisms that would normally authenticate and authorize access to administrative functions. When the Spree platform processes requests to these JSON endpoints, it fails to verify that the requesting user has appropriate administrative privileges before returning sensitive data. This represents a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture, where the assumption is made that legitimate requests will come from authorized users without proper validation checks. The lack of CSRF protection and authentication verification creates an environment where any remote attacker can access administrative data simply by knowing the endpoint URLs and making appropriate HTTP requests to retrieve the JSON responses containing sensitive information. Organizations using affected versions of Spree should immediately implement mitigations including proper authentication controls, request validation mechanisms, and access restriction policies to prevent unauthorized access to administrative data endpoints.