CVE-2010-4723 in Smarty
Summary
by MITRE
Smarty before 3.0.0, when security is enabled, does not prevent access to the (1) dynamic and (2) private object members of an assigned object, which has unspecified impact and remote attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-4723 affects the Smarty template engine version 3.0.0 and earlier, specifically when security measures are enabled. This represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the intended security boundaries of the template processing system. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the Smarty engine's security policies, allowing unauthorized access to object members that should remain protected from template execution contexts.
The technical flaw manifests in two distinct but related ways: first with dynamic object members and second with private object members. When security is enabled, Smarty should restrict template code from accessing internal object properties that could expose sensitive data or functionality. However, this protection mechanism fails to properly validate access to dynamically generated members and private members of assigned objects, creating potential attack vectors for malicious template code. This vulnerability falls under CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, specifically in the context of insufficient checks on object member access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates potential remote attack vectors that could be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to system resources. When templates are processed with user-supplied input, malicious actors could craft template code that accesses private or dynamic members of objects assigned to the template context. This could potentially lead to data leakage, privilege escalation, or even remote code execution depending on the object types involved and their associated functionality. The unspecified impact category indicates that the consequences could vary significantly based on the specific objects and data structures being accessed.
Attackers leveraging this vulnerability could potentially exploit it through template injection attacks, where malicious template code is injected into the system and executed within the Smarty template processing context. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this under T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for malicious email attachments or web delivery methods. The vulnerability creates a path for attackers to bypass intended security boundaries, potentially allowing access to sensitive application data or functionality that should be protected from template execution contexts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention and include upgrading to Smarty version 3.0.0 or later, where the security flaws have been addressed. Organizations should also implement strict template validation and sanitization processes to prevent user-supplied template code from being executed without proper security checks. Additionally, security policies should enforce least privilege access controls for template processing environments, ensuring that template code cannot access objects or members beyond the intended scope of functionality. Regular security audits of template processing systems and implementation of proper input validation mechanisms should be standard practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the application stack.