CVE-2012-4902 in Template CMS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Template CMS 2.1.1 and earlier allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) create an administrator user via an add action to admin/index.php or (2) conduct static PHP code injection attacks via the themes_editor parameter in an edit_template action to admin/index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2025
The CVE-2012-4902 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw present in Template CMS versions 2.1.1 and earlier, exposing administrators to significant security risks through unauthorized administrative actions. This vulnerability operates by exploiting the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the web application's administrative interface, specifically targeting the admin/index.php endpoint which handles user management and template editing operations. The flaw allows remote attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed on behalf of authenticated administrators without their knowledge or consent, effectively bypassing the authentication system through the manipulation of web browser behavior.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the lack of anti-CSRF tokens or other validation mechanisms in the affected CMS platform. When administrators access the administrative interface, the application fails to verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate administrative sessions. Attackers can exploit this weakness by creating malicious web pages or embedding malicious code within other websites that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable Template CMS administration interface. The vulnerability manifests in two primary attack vectors: the creation of new administrator accounts through the add action functionality and the execution of PHP code injection attacks via the themes_editor parameter during template editing operations. These attack vectors directly leverage the absence of proper request validation and session management controls that should normally prevent unauthorized administrative actions.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-4902 is severe and far-reaching, as successful exploitation can result in complete administrative compromise of affected systems. An attacker who successfully executes either attack vector gains elevated privileges within the CMS environment, potentially leading to full system control, data exfiltration, and persistent backdoor installation. The creation of new administrator accounts provides attackers with legitimate access credentials that can be used to maintain long-term access to the compromised system. Meanwhile, the PHP code injection capability through the themes_editor parameter enables attackers to execute arbitrary code on the server, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on Template CMS for website management, as the attack requires only that an administrator visits a malicious page, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently browse external websites or are targeted through phishing campaigns.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. This classification emphasizes the fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture where it fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence, as attackers can establish new administrative accounts and execute code on the target system. The exploitation process typically involves initial reconnaissance to identify the vulnerable CMS version, followed by crafting malicious payloads that leverage the CSRF flaw to perform administrative actions. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of Template CMS, implementing proper CSRF token validation, and establishing network monitoring to detect suspicious administrative activities. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and the necessity of maintaining up-to-date software versions to prevent exploitation of known security flaws.