CVE-2012-5549 in Time Spent
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Time Spent module 6.x and 7.x for Drupal allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of unspecified victims via unknown vectors.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2018
The CVE-2012-5549 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Time Spent module for Drupal versions 6.x and 7.x. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated sessions by exploiting the module's insufficient validation mechanisms for cross-domain requests. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates without requiring any specific user interaction beyond normal browsing behavior, making it highly stealthy and difficult to detect through conventional monitoring approaches.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the Time Spent module's failure to properly validate the origin and authenticity of HTTP requests. When users navigate to malicious websites or click on compromised links, the module processes requests without adequate verification of the requesting domain or the presence of anti-CSRF tokens. This allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate users within the Drupal application, thereby bypassing the authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it can potentially enable complete session hijacking and unauthorized administrative actions within the affected Drupal installations.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5549 is significant for organizations running vulnerable Drupal systems, particularly those that rely heavily on user authentication and session management. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to perform actions such as modifying user permissions, creating new administrative accounts, or accessing sensitive data without proper authorization. The attack vectors are particularly insidious because they can be delivered through various means including email phishing campaigns, compromised websites, or even within legitimate web applications that embed malicious content. The vulnerability affects the core authentication flow of Drupal applications, potentially leading to complete system compromise and unauthorized data access.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the official security patches released by Drupal for both version 6.x and 7.x of the Time Spent module. The recommended approach involves upgrading to patched versions or implementing custom anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the module's code. Security teams should also consider implementing additional network-level protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious cross-site request patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security practices and regularly updating third-party modules, as highlighted in the ATT&CK framework's methodology for credential access and privilege escalation techniques. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their Drupal installations to identify any other potentially vulnerable modules or components that might be susceptible to similar CSRF attacks.