CVE-2012-5556 in RESTWS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the RESTful Web Services (RESTWS) module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.1 and 7.x-2.x before 7.x-2.0-alpha3 for Drupal allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/18/2019
The CVE-2012-5556 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the RESTful Web Services module for Drupal platforms. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.1 and 7.x-2.x prior to 7.x-2.0-alpha3, creating a significant security risk that enables remote attackers to exploit user authentication sessions. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the fundamental weakness of CSRF attacks where malicious actors can trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions on web applications they are logged into. The RESTWS module, designed to provide RESTful web services for Drupal, becomes a vector for unauthorized privilege escalation when exploited properly. According to CWE-352, this vulnerability maps directly to Cross-Site Request Forgery, a well-documented weakness that occurs when a web application fails to verify the origin of requests, allowing attackers to perform actions with the privileges of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the RESTWS module's failure to properly validate request origins and implement adequate anti-CSRF measures. When users access RESTful endpoints through the module, the system should verify that requests originate from legitimate sources and contain proper authentication tokens. However, in vulnerable versions, this validation mechanism was insufficient or completely absent, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that would be automatically processed by the victim's browser while maintaining their authenticated session. The attack vectors remain unspecified in the CVE description, but typically involve social engineering techniques where users are tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links that automatically submit requests to the target Drupal site. These requests would execute with the user's existing authentication context, potentially enabling unauthorized modifications to content, user accounts, or system configurations.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5556 extends far beyond simple data theft or modification, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of user authentication within Drupal installations. Attackers could potentially hijack administrator accounts, modify critical system configurations, or perform unauthorized administrative tasks that would otherwise require explicit credentials. The vulnerability affects the core authentication and authorization mechanisms of Drupal, making it particularly dangerous for sites that rely heavily on RESTful web services for integration with external applications or APIs. Organizations using vulnerable versions of the RESTWS module face significant risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data, potential service disruption, and compromise of the entire web application infrastructure. The attack complexity is relatively low since it requires minimal technical expertise beyond basic understanding of web application security principles and social engineering techniques.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-5556 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to patched releases of the RESTWS module. Organizations should upgrade to version 7.x-1.1 or 7.x-2.0-alpha3, which contain proper CSRF protection mechanisms and request validation. Additionally, administrators should implement proper input validation and output encoding practices, though these are secondary measures compared to the primary requirement of updating vulnerable software components. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth, though they are not substitutes for proper software patching. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering tactics, particularly focusing on the manipulation of user trust and authentication contexts. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify other potential CSRF vulnerabilities within the Drupal installation, as this particular flaw demonstrates the importance of proper authentication validation in web service implementations. The incident underscores the necessity of maintaining updated security practices and following secure coding guidelines that prevent CSRF attacks through proper token generation and validation mechanisms.