CVE-2012-1633 in Password Policy
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Password Policy module before 6.x-1.4 and 7.x-1.0 beta3 for Drupal allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of admistrative users for requests that unblock a user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2021
The CVE-2012-1633 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Drupal Password Policy module affecting versions prior to 6.x-1.4 and 7.x-1.0 beta3. This vulnerability operates under the CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit the authentication mechanisms of administrative users through carefully crafted requests that manipulate user account states without proper authorization. The vulnerability specifically targets the unblocking functionality of user accounts, allowing unauthorized individuals to perform administrative actions that should only be accessible to legitimate administrators.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the Password Policy module's administrative interfaces. When administrative users navigate to pages that handle user unblocking operations, the module fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than malicious third-party websites. This lack of session validation creates an exploitable condition where attackers can construct malicious web pages or emails containing embedded requests that automatically submit unblocking commands to the vulnerable Drupal installation. The vulnerability manifests when administrative users visit compromised websites or click on malicious links, causing their browsers to submit unauthorized requests to the target Drupal system.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-1633 extends beyond simple account manipulation to potentially enable complete administrative takeover of vulnerable Drupal installations. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can unblock user accounts at will, potentially enabling access to restricted administrative functions or allowing malicious users to gain elevated privileges within the system. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to unauthorized data modification, content injection, and complete system compromise. The attack vector operates through standard web browsing activities, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no specialized tools or direct system access beyond the ability to host malicious web content.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of the Password Policy module, implementing proper CSRF token validation across all administrative interfaces, and establishing comprehensive monitoring for unauthorized administrative activities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as it enables attackers to leverage legitimate administrative credentials through social engineering techniques. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers, configuring proper session management controls, and conducting regular security audits of all Drupal modules and their interactions with core system functions. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust access control mechanisms to prevent unauthorized administrative actions that could compromise entire web applications.