CVE-2011-5195 in Open Conference Systems
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in index/manager/fileUpload in Public Knowledge Project Open Conference Systems 2.3.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of admistrators for requests that upload a PHP file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2011-5195 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Public Knowledge Project Open Conference Systems version 2.3.4 and earlier. This vulnerability resides in the fileUpload functionality of the manager interface, specifically at the index/manager/fileUpload endpoint, making it a significant security weakness that could be exploited by remote attackers to compromise system integrity. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate authenticated administrator sessions through crafted requests that upload malicious PHP files to the target system.
This CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the file upload process. When administrators access the manager interface to upload files, the system fails to verify that the request originates from a legitimate administrative session rather than an attacker-controlled source. The vulnerability operates under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw allows attackers to construct malicious requests that appear to originate from authenticated administrators, thereby bypassing the normal authentication checks that should prevent unauthorized file uploads.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary code on the target system through PHP file uploads. Once an attacker successfully uploads a malicious PHP file, they can leverage this to gain persistent access to the server, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no prior authentication or privilege escalation, as the attacker can hijack existing administrator sessions to perform file uploads. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1505.003, which covers Server Software Component compromises through malicious file uploads, and T1078.004, which addresses valid accounts used for unauthorized access.
The exploitation process typically involves tricking an authenticated administrator into visiting a malicious website or clicking on a crafted link that automatically submits a file upload request to the vulnerable Open Conference Systems installation. The attacker can construct the request to include a PHP shell or backdoor file, which gets uploaded to the server without the administrator's knowledge. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be used for data exfiltration, system reconnaissance, or as a foothold for further attacks within the network. The vulnerability affects not just the immediate system but also potentially any downstream systems that may be accessible through the compromised server, making it a critical concern for organizations relying on this conference management platform.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including the deployment of anti-CSRF tokens for all file upload operations, implementing proper session management controls, and ensuring that file upload functionalities require explicit authentication verification. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized file upload activities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of implementing proper input validation and output encoding as recommended in OWASP Top 10 and ISO 27001 security standards, particularly in web application development and maintenance practices that should prevent such authentication bypass scenarios.