CVE-2012-1897 in Wolf CMS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Wolf CMS 0.75 and earlier allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) delete users via the user id number to admin/user/delete; (2) delete pages via the page id number to admin/page/delete; delete the (3) images or (4) themes directory via the directory name to admin/plugin/file_manager/delete, and possibly other directories; or (5) logout the user via a request to admin/login/logout.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2025
The CVE-2012-1897 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Wolf CMS versions 0.75 and earlier, exposing administrators to unauthorized actions through maliciously crafted requests. This vulnerability operates under the well-documented CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions where attackers can manipulate authenticated sessions. The flaw exists due to the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the administrative interface, allowing remote attackers to execute unauthorized operations by tricking administrators into visiting malicious web pages or clicking on compromised links.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the lack of anti-CSRF tokens in several administrative endpoints within the Wolf CMS framework. Attackers can construct malicious requests targeting specific URLs including admin/user/delete for user removal, admin/page/delete for page deletion, admin/plugin/file_manager/delete for directory deletion operations, and admin/login/logout for forced user logout. These endpoints accept parameters based on unique identifiers such as user id numbers, page id numbers, and directory names, making them susceptible to exploitation when administrators are logged into the CMS. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental failure in session management and request validation, where the application does not verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate administrative sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables attackers to assume administrative privileges and execute potentially destructive actions without requiring authentication credentials. An attacker could systematically delete user accounts to eliminate access rights, remove critical pages to disrupt website functionality, delete images or themes to compromise the site's visual presentation and user experience, or force logout to disrupt administrative sessions. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK tactics including privilege escalation and denial of service, as it allows attackers to maintain persistent access and disrupt normal operations. The implications extend beyond simple data deletion, as the ability to manipulate core website components can lead to complete site compromise and potential data loss.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-1897 require immediate implementation of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the Wolf CMS application. The most effective approach involves implementing anti-CSRF tokens that are generated per session and validated for each administrative request, ensuring that requests originate from legitimate administrative interfaces rather than malicious third-party sites. Organizations should also implement proper input validation and parameter sanitization for all administrative endpoints, particularly those accepting id numbers or directory names as parameters. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following OWASP Top Ten security practices and implementing the principle of least privilege in web application design. Additionally, regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other CMS platforms or web applications, as CSRF vulnerabilities remain prevalent in many content management systems and web frameworks.