CVE-2011-4452 in WikkaWiki
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the AdminUsers component in WikkaWiki 1.3.1 and 1.3.2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that remove arbitrary user accounts via a delete operation, as demonstrated by an {{image}} action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2025
The CVE-2011-4452 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the AdminUsers component of WikkaWiki versions 1.3.1 and 1.3.2. This vulnerability operates under the CWE-352 classification, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions where attackers can manipulate authenticated sessions. The flaw exists in the administrative user management functionality, allowing unauthorized actors to exploit the system's trust in legitimate administrator sessions. The vulnerability manifests when administrators perform delete operations on user accounts through the {{image}} action, creating a scenario where malicious requests can be executed without the administrator's knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens within the administrative user management interface. When administrators navigate to the delete user functionality, the system fails to validate that the request originates from an authenticated administrative session. This oversight creates a persistent attack vector where remote attackers can craft malicious web pages or links that automatically submit delete requests to the WikkaWiki administration interface. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the administrative level, granting attackers the ability to remove arbitrary user accounts, potentially compromising system integrity and user data access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account deletion, as it represents a complete compromise of administrative privileges through session hijacking techniques. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute unauthorized administrative actions without requiring valid credentials, effectively bypassing authentication mechanisms entirely. The {{image}} action serves as a particularly effective attack vector because it is often used in legitimate contexts, making the malicious request appear more credible to the administrator's browser. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002, which describes credential harvesting through social engineering, as the attack exploits the trust relationship between the user interface and administrative functions. The consequences include potential data loss, unauthorized access to user accounts, and complete system compromise through account removal operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-4452 must address the fundamental lack of CSRF protection in the WikkaWiki administrative components. The primary solution involves implementing robust anti-CSRF token mechanisms that are generated for each administrative session and validated upon every privileged operation. Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of WikkaWiki where the vulnerability has been addressed through proper session validation and token implementation. Additionally, network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide temporary defense by monitoring for suspicious administrative requests and validating request origins. Security configurations should enforce strict session management policies and implement automatic session timeout mechanisms to minimize the window of opportunity for CSRF attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and session integrity checks, as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security principles, particularly focusing on the prevention of unauthorized administrative actions through proper authentication verification mechanisms.