CVE-2012-1643 in Jason Savino
Summary
by MITRE
The Faster Permissions module 7.x-2.x before 7.x-1.2 for Drupal does not check the "administer permissions" permission, which allows remote attackers to modify access permissions via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-1643 affects the Faster Permissions module version 7.x-2.x before 7.x-1.2 in the Drupal content management system. This module was designed to optimize permission handling within Drupal installations, but contained a critical security flaw that undermined the fundamental access control mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from the module's failure to properly validate administrative privileges before allowing permission modifications, creating a significant bypass opportunity for unauthorized actors.
The technical flaw resides in the module's permission checking logic where it neglects to verify whether the requesting user possesses the "administer permissions" capability. This oversight allows malicious actors to exploit unspecified vectors to manipulate access controls within the Drupal environment. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor through which attackers can escalate their privileges and modify user permissions without proper authorization, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control vulnerabilities in software systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple permission manipulation. Attackers who successfully exploit this weakness can gain unauthorized access to critical system functions, potentially enabling them to create new administrator accounts, modify existing user permissions, or even disable security features entirely. The remote nature of the attack vector means that an attacker could exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the system. This represents a serious threat to Drupal installations that rely on the Faster Permissions module for performance optimization, as the security implications far outweigh the performance benefits.
Organizations using affected Drupal installations should immediately upgrade to version 7.x-1.2 or later of the Faster Permissions module to remediate this vulnerability. System administrators should also conduct thorough security audits of their Drupal environments to identify any potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper permission validation in security-sensitive modules and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of third-party components. Additionally, implementing network-level protections such as web application firewalls and monitoring for unusual permission modification activities can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the ATT&CK technique T1078 which involves legitimate credentials and privilege escalation, highlighting how module-level flaws can create opportunities for attackers to gain unauthorized access to administrative capabilities.