CVE-2012-2341 in Take Control
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Take Control module 6.x-2.x before 6.x-2.2 for Drupal allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of unspecified users for Ajax requests that manipulate files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2018
The CVE-2012-2341 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Take Control module version 6.x-2.x prior to 6.x-2.2 for the Drupal content management platform. This vulnerability specifically targets the module's handling of Ajax requests and file manipulation operations, creating a significant security risk for Drupal installations that utilize this component. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit user sessions and execute unauthorized actions without proper authentication, fundamentally compromising the integrity of the web application's security model. The vulnerability affects the module's ability to properly validate and authenticate Ajax requests, particularly those involving file operations that could result in unauthorized data manipulation or access.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the Take Control module's insufficient validation mechanisms for Ajax requests that modify file resources. When users navigate to malicious web pages or click on compromised links, the attacker can craft specially crafted requests that leverage the victim's authenticated session to perform file operations. The vulnerability occurs because the module fails to implement proper anti-CSRF token validation for Ajax endpoints, allowing attackers to forge requests that appear legitimate to the Drupal application. This weakness specifically impacts the module's Ajax request processing pipeline, where it does not adequately verify the authenticity of requests originating from unauthorized sources, creating a persistent attack vector that can be exploited through various social engineering techniques or by compromising user sessions.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-2341 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to manipulate file resources within the Drupal environment with elevated privileges. This capability can lead to data corruption, unauthorized file uploads, deletion of critical system files, or the potential for privilege escalation within the application. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where users have administrative or content management capabilities, as the file manipulation operations could result in complete system compromise. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to upload malicious files, modify existing resources, or perform other destructive operations that could compromise the entire web application infrastructure, making it a serious concern for organizations relying on Drupal for their web presence.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, beginning with upgrading to Take Control module version 6.x-2.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to prevent CSRF attacks. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the updated module to ensure compatibility with existing Drupal installations and application functionality. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as implementing proper CSRF token validation at the application level, monitoring Ajax request patterns for suspicious activity, and establishing network-level protections to detect and prevent unauthorized requests. Security teams should also review their incident response procedures to prepare for potential exploitation attempts and ensure that proper logging and alerting mechanisms are in place to detect unauthorized file manipulation activities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and proper authentication mechanisms that should be enforced for all user operations within web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1566 technique for initial access through social engineering, as the attack often relies on user interaction with malicious content to exploit the CSRF weakness.