CVE-2011-1026 in Archiva
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Apache Archiva 1.0 through 1.2.2, and 1.3.x before 1.3.5, allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/08/2021
Apache Archiva serves as a comprehensive repository manager that handles software artifacts and provides administrative interfaces for managing repository configurations, user permissions, and system settings. The cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities present in versions 1.0 through 1.2.2 and 1.3.x before 1.3.5 represent a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the administrative authentication process. These vulnerabilities arise from the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms in key administrative endpoints, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted requests that exploit the trust relationship between the web application and authenticated administrators.
The technical implementation of these CSRF flaws stems from the lack of anti-CSRF tokens in critical administrative operations such as user management, repository configuration changes, and permission modifications. When an administrator performs legitimate administrative tasks, the application should validate that the request originates from the authenticated user's browser session rather than from an external malicious source. Without proper CSRF protection mechanisms, attackers can construct malicious web pages or send crafted HTTP requests that automatically execute administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability specifically targets the authentication state of administrators, allowing unauthorized modification of system configurations and potential privilege escalation.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends beyond simple data manipulation, as they enable attackers to gain persistent administrative control over the repository management system. An attacker who successfully exploits these CSRF vulnerabilities can modify repository access controls, add malicious artifacts to repositories, alter user permissions, and potentially gain access to sensitive system information. The consequences are particularly severe in enterprise environments where Apache Archiva manages critical software dependencies and artifact repositories. Attackers can leverage these vulnerabilities to compromise the integrity of software supply chains, introduce malicious components into artifact repositories, or establish persistent backdoors through administrative access.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence through administrative access. The exploitation requires minimal technical sophistication and can be automated through various web-based attack vectors. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Apache Archiva version 1.3.5 or later, which contains the necessary CSRF protection mechanisms. Additional defensive measures include implementing proper CSRF token validation, configuring secure HTTP headers, and establishing network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces. Regular security assessments and monitoring for unauthorized administrative activities should also be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts.