CVE-2012-0699 in Family Connections
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Family Connections CMS (aka FCMS) 2.9 and earlier allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that (1) add news via an add action to familynews.php or (2) add a prayer via an add action to prayers.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2025
The CVE-2012-0699 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Family Connections CMS version 2.9 and earlier systems. This vulnerability resides in the web application's insufficient validation of user requests, specifically targeting the authentication mechanisms that govern administrative functions within the CMS. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit the trust relationship between authenticated users and the application, enabling unauthorized actions that should only be performed by legitimate administrators. The vulnerability affects two distinct endpoints within the CMS: familynews.php and prayers.php, both of which handle user-generated content submission functions. These endpoints lack proper anti-CSRF token validation, making them susceptible to exploitation through crafted malicious requests that can be triggered when authenticated users visit compromised web pages or click on malicious links.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF protection mechanisms in the affected CMS components. When users navigate to the news or prayer submission pages, the application fails to validate the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate users versus malicious actors. This weakness aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in web applications. The flaw operates by tricking authenticated users into unknowingly submitting requests to the vulnerable endpoints, where the application processes these requests without proper verification of the request source. Attackers can construct malicious web pages or embed malicious scripts that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable endpoints, effectively hijacking the authenticated user's session and performing unauthorized actions such as adding news items or prayer requests to the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it provides attackers with persistent access to administrative functions within the CMS. Successful exploitation allows attackers to inject malicious content into the news section or prayer board, potentially spreading malware, defacing the website, or manipulating content to compromise user trust and system integrity. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited repeatedly, as long as attackers can entice authenticated users to interact with malicious content. This type of attack can be particularly damaging in environments where the CMS serves as a community platform, as the injected content could undermine the platform's credibility and potentially expose users to further security risks. The vulnerability also enables attackers to establish a foothold within the system that could facilitate more sophisticated attacks or serve as a launching point for additional exploitation attempts.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation measures to protect their systems and users from exploitation. The primary remediation involves implementing robust anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms across all authenticated endpoints, ensuring that each request includes a unique, unpredictable token that validates the user's intent and origin. This approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002, which addresses the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities through CSRF attacks. Additionally, organizations should implement proper input validation, session management, and request origin verification to prevent unauthorized actions. Security updates and patches should be applied immediately to upgrade to versions of Family Connections CMS that address this vulnerability. Regular security assessments and web application firewalls should also be deployed to monitor and prevent similar attacks. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of implementing proper authentication and authorization controls in web applications, particularly those handling user-generated content and administrative functions.