CVE-2011-5253 in Thegr
Summary
by MITRE
Dl Download Ticket Service 0.3 through 0.9 allows remote attackers to login as an arbitrary user by supplying an authorization header.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-5253 affects the Dl Download Ticket Service version 0.3 through 0.9, representing a critical authentication flaw that enables remote attackers to impersonate arbitrary users within the system. This vulnerability resides in the service's handling of authorization headers, creating a pathway for unauthorized access that fundamentally compromises the integrity of the authentication mechanism. The issue manifests when the service fails to properly validate or sanitize authorization headers, allowing attackers to craft malicious headers that bypass normal authentication procedures and gain access with elevated privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and authentication logic within the Dl Download Ticket Service. When an attacker supplies a crafted authorization header, the system processes this input without sufficient verification, effectively accepting the header as legitimate authentication credentials. This flaw aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems. The vulnerability essentially allows for privilege escalation through authentication bypass, where an attacker can manipulate the authorization process to assume the identity of any valid user within the system. The attack vector is particularly dangerous as it requires no local access or prior credentials, making it exploitable from any remote location.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations relying on the Dl Download Ticket Service for managing access to sensitive resources or content. The ability to login as an arbitrary user means attackers can potentially access restricted files, modify system configurations, or perform actions as legitimate users. This compromise undermines the entire security model of the service and could lead to data breaches, unauthorized modifications, or complete system takeover depending on the privileges associated with the targeted user accounts. The impact extends beyond immediate unauthorized access as it may enable further attacks through the compromised user's permissions and access rights within the broader network environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-5253 should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions to the latest available releases that address the authorization header validation flaw. Organizations must implement proper input sanitization and validation for all authentication headers, ensuring that the system performs robust verification before accepting any authorization credentials. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual authentication patterns or attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms and regular security audits can help reduce the attack surface and detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper authentication design principles and adherence to security best practices as outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework's authentication bypass techniques, particularly those related to credential reuse and privilege escalation methods.