CVE-2010-4332 in Pointter PHP Content Management System
Summary
by MITRE
Pointter PHP Content Management System 1.0 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and obtain administrative privileges via arbitrary values of the auser and apass cookies.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4332 affects Pointter PHP Content Management System version 1.0, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that exposes administrative controls to unauthorized remote attackers. This issue stems from insufficient validation of cookie values within the authentication mechanism, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the auser and apass cookie parameters to gain elevated privileges without proper credentials. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the session management and authentication components of the CMS.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation and sanitization of cookie data, particularly affecting the auser and apass parameters that are typically used to store user authentication state. When these cookies are manipulated with arbitrary values, the system fails to properly verify the legitimacy of the authentication tokens, creating a path for privilege escalation. This weakness aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and represents a classic case of weak session management where cookie values are not adequately validated or authenticated before being accepted as legitimate credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables remote attackers to completely bypass the CMS authentication mechanism and assume administrative control over the entire system. Once authenticated, the attacker gains full access to all administrative functions including user management, content modification, file upload capabilities, and system configuration changes. This compromise can lead to complete system takeover, data exfiltration, defacement, or the establishment of persistent backdoors within the web application environment. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no local access or prior authentication credentials, making it highly exploitable in automated attack scenarios.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation and sanitization of all cookie parameters, enforcing strict authentication mechanisms that do not rely solely on cookie values for privilege determination, and implementing robust session management protocols. Organizations should immediately patch the CMS to a version that addresses this vulnerability or implement temporary workarounds such as disabling cookie-based authentication, implementing additional authentication layers, or configuring web application firewalls to monitor and block suspicious cookie manipulation attempts. The remediation approach should align with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation, ensuring that authentication mechanisms are hardened against manipulation. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual cookie value patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components.