CVE-2012-1901 in FlexCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in FlexCMS 3.2.1 and earlier allow remote attackers to (1) hijack the authentication of users for requests that change account settings via a request to index.php/profile-edit-save or (2) hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that add a new page via a request to admin/pages-new-save.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-1901 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting FlexCMS versions 3.2.1 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the web application's authentication and authorization mechanisms, specifically targeting the profile editing and administrative page creation functionalities. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between legitimate users and the application, allowing unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms within the targeted endpoints. When users navigate to the vulnerable pages index.php/profile-edit-save and admin/pages-new-save, the application fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session context. This omission creates a pathway for attackers to craft malicious requests that, when executed by authenticated users, can modify account settings or create new pages with administrative privileges. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication state of users who have already logged into the system, making it particularly dangerous as it operates within the established trust boundary.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive administrative functions. An attacker who successfully exploits the CSRF vulnerability targeting the profile-edit-save endpoint can alter user account configurations, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information or modifying user permissions. When targeting the admin/pages-new-save endpoint, the consequences escalate significantly as attackers can inject malicious content or create new pages that may serve as entry points for further attacks. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various vectors including social engineering campaigns where users are tricked into visiting malicious websites that initiate the forged requests.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of the CWE-352 classification, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities. The attack pattern aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which involves the exploitation of web applications through social engineering or crafted web requests. Organizations should implement comprehensive CSRF protection measures including the use of anti-CSRF tokens, proper session management, and strict validation of request origins. The mitigation strategy should involve immediate patching of affected FlexCMS installations, implementation of proper CSRF token validation mechanisms, and enhanced monitoring of administrative activities. Additionally, security awareness training for users can help prevent successful exploitation through social engineering approaches that rely on user interaction with malicious content.