CVE-2012-4753 in ownCloud
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in ownCloud before 4.0.5 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of unspecified victims via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/31/2025
The CVE-2012-4753 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery issue affecting ownCloud versions prior to 4.0.5, demonstrating a fundamental flaw in web application security that has significant implications for user authentication and data integrity. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, making it a well-documented and serious security concern within the cybersecurity community. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated sessions by exploiting the application's failure to properly validate and verify the origin of requests, creating a pathway for unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of legitimate users.
The technical nature of this CSRF vulnerability stems from ownCloud's insufficient implementation of anti-CSRF measures within its authentication framework, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted requests that appear to originate from legitimate users. These attacks exploit the trust relationship between the web application and the user's browser, leveraging the automatic inclusion of cookies and authentication tokens in HTTP requests without proper verification of the request source. The unspecified victim vectors indicate that the vulnerability could potentially affect various user actions within the application, making it particularly dangerous as attackers could target different functionalities with a single exploit approach.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-4753 extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with the capability to hijack user sessions and perform unauthorized operations within the ownCloud environment. This includes but is not limited to modifying user settings, accessing sensitive files, creating new accounts, or performing administrative functions depending on the victim's privileges. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to systems or network proximity, enabling them to exploit the flaw from anywhere on the internet. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which describes social engineering tactics used to gain initial access to systems, as the exploitation often involves tricking users into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links.
Organizations using vulnerable versions of ownCloud faced significant risks including unauthorized data access, potential data loss, and compromised user privacy. The vulnerability's impact was particularly severe given that ownCloud is designed as a file synchronization and sharing platform, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to access sensitive personal or corporate documents. The attack vector typically involves luring users to malicious websites that contain embedded requests to the vulnerable ownCloud instance, where the browser automatically includes the user's authentication cookies, thereby executing unauthorized actions. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability exemplifies the importance of implementing robust CSRF protection mechanisms, including the use of anti-CSRF tokens, proper request origin validation, and maintaining up-to-date software versions to prevent exploitation of known security flaws.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-4753 primarily involve upgrading to ownCloud version 4.0.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the CSRF vulnerabilities. Additionally, organizations should implement comprehensive security measures including the deployment of web application firewalls, regular security audits, and user education programs to recognize potential social engineering attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining current security practices and the necessity of implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against multiple attack vectors simultaneously. Security teams should also consider implementing additional controls such as multi-factor authentication and session management improvements to further reduce the attack surface and protect against similar vulnerabilities in the future.