CVE-2012-1058 in Flyspray
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Flyspray 0.9.9.6 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of admins for requests that add admin accounts via an admin.newuser action to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/02/2025
The CVE-2012-1058 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Flyspray version 0.9.9.6, a popular open-source bug tracking system. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative functionality of the application, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this platform for project management and issue tracking. The flaw exists within the authentication handling mechanisms of the system, allowing malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between the web application and its administrators.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs through the admin.newuser action endpoint within the index.php file. When administrators perform legitimate administrative tasks, the application fails to properly validate the origin of requests, particularly those related to creating new administrative accounts. This omission means that an attacker can craft malicious web pages or emails containing specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, will result in unauthorized account creation without the administrator's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability exploits the fundamental principle that web applications should verify the authenticity of requests originating from authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with a mechanism to escalate privileges within the Flyspray system. By successfully hijacking administrative authentication through CSRF attacks, attackers can create new administrator accounts with full privileges, effectively gaining complete control over the bug tracking system. This compromise can lead to data manipulation, unauthorized access to sensitive project information, potential data exfiltration, and the ability to modify or delete critical system configurations. Organizations using Flyspray for managing sensitive project data or development workflows face significant risk from this vulnerability.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and insufficient anti-CSRF token implementation, which are fundamental security practices that should be enforced in all web applications handling administrative functions. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, as it allows attackers to gain elevated system access through legitimate administrative functions. Organizations should implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms including anti-CSRF tokens, origin validation, and proper request verification to prevent such attacks. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regularly updating open-source applications and maintaining security awareness regarding common web application flaws that can be exploited by threat actors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-1058 include immediate patching of the Flyspray application to version 0.9.9.7 or later, which contains the necessary CSRF protection fixes. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as network segmentation, proper access controls, and monitoring of administrative account creation activities. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other applications within the organization's infrastructure. The implementation of web application firewalls and proper input validation can provide additional layers of protection against CSRF attacks targeting administrative functions.