CVE-2012-3799 in Maestro
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the Maestro module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.2 for Drupal allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) change workflows or (2) insert cross-site scripting (XSS) sequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/17/2019
The CVE-2012-3799 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Maestro module version 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.2 for Drupal content management systems. This vulnerability specifically targets administrative users who are authenticated within the Drupal environment, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on the Maestro module for workflow management and content processing. The flaw exists in how the module handles authentication tokens and request validation, allowing remote attackers to exploit the system through maliciously crafted requests that appear legitimate to the server.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of request origins and missing proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the Maestro module's administrative interfaces. When administrators perform actions such as changing workflows or inserting content that may contain XSS sequences, the module fails to properly verify that these requests originate from authenticated users within the legitimate session context. This weakness enables attackers to construct malicious web pages or exploit existing XSS vulnerabilities to execute unauthorized administrative actions without requiring valid credentials for the target system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it creates a pathway for attackers to gain complete administrative control over Drupal sites using the Maestro module. Successful exploitation allows attackers to modify workflow configurations, potentially disrupting business processes, or inject malicious scripts that could persistently compromise the system. The combination of workflow manipulation and XSS injection capabilities creates a particularly dangerous attack vector where an attacker could establish persistent backdoors, modify content, or exfiltrate sensitive data from the compromised system. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the patch released by the Drupal security team for version 7.x-1.2 of the Maestro module. The recommended mitigation strategy includes updating to the patched version, which properly implements CSRF token validation and request origin verification. Additionally, administrators should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their Drupal installations to identify any other modules that may be vulnerable to similar CSRF attacks. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and strict content security policies can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though they should not be relied upon as primary protections. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper input validation mechanisms as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's web application attack patterns. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and establishing regular security monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts.