CVE-2012-5173 in BIGACE
Summary
by MITRE
Session fixation vulnerability in BIGACE before 2.7.8 allows remote attackers to hijack web sessions via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2019
The CVE-2012-5173 vulnerability represents a critical session fixation flaw in the BIGACE content management system prior to version 2.7.8. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of session management weaknesses that have been consistently identified as high-risk security issues in web applications. Session fixation attacks occur when an attacker can establish a known session identifier that will be used by a victim, allowing the attacker to hijack the victim's session and gain unauthorized access to their privileges and data. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication and session handling mechanisms within the BIGACE platform, creating a pathway for remote attackers to exploit the system's session management protocols.
The technical implementation of this flaw stems from inadequate session token generation and validation processes within the BIGACE framework. When users authenticate to the system, the application fails to properly invalidate or regenerate session identifiers upon successful login, allowing an attacker who has already established a session to maintain persistent access. This issue typically manifests when the application reuses session identifiers across different authentication states or when it fails to implement proper session regeneration after authentication. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple attack pathways may exist, potentially including session cookie manipulation, predictable session ID generation, or improper session cleanup mechanisms. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-384, which specifically addresses session fixation issues in web applications, and represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of secure session management.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5173 extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential data breaches, privilege escalation, and complete system compromise. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can impersonate legitimate users, access sensitive administrative functions, modify content, and potentially gain access to confidential user data or system resources. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to the system or local network presence to exploit this vulnerability. Organizations running affected versions of BIGACE face significant risk of unauthorized access to their content management systems, potentially leading to reputational damage, regulatory compliance violations, and financial losses. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple attack vectors increases the probability of successful exploitation and makes it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely heavily on web-based content management solutions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-5173 primarily focus on implementing proper session management practices and upgrading to patched versions of the BIGACE platform. Organizations should immediately upgrade to BIGACE version 2.7.8 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. The implementation of secure session management protocols should include mandatory session regeneration upon successful authentication, proper session cookie attributes such as HttpOnly and Secure flags, and automatic session timeout mechanisms. Additionally, organizations should implement network-level protections such as intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious session-related activities and consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1565.001 (Credential Access: Steal or Forge Kerberos Tickets) and T1562.001 (Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools), as it enables attackers to hijack legitimate user sessions and potentially bypass security controls. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks to prevent similar issues in web application development and deployment.