CVE-2012-6631 in NetBill
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in accounts/admin/index.php in Vessio NetBill 1.2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that add accounts via a new-client action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2019
The CVE-2012-6631 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Vessio NetBill version 1.2 that specifically targets the administrative account management functionality. This vulnerability resides within the accounts/admin/index.php file and creates a significant security risk by allowing remote attackers to exploit the authentication mechanisms of administrators without their knowledge or consent. The flaw specifically enables malicious actors to perform unauthorized actions through the administrative interface, particularly targeting the addition of new client accounts through the new-client action.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the administrative web interface. When administrators navigate to the account management section and perform legitimate administrative tasks, the application fails to validate that requests originate from authenticated users within the same session context. This lack of validation creates an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in web browsers to trick administrators into executing unintended administrative actions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the administrative level, providing attackers with elevated privileges and access to sensitive account management functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized account creation, as it provides attackers with persistent access to the administrative interface of the Vessio NetBill system. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability can add new client accounts with administrative privileges, potentially establishing backdoors or creating accounts under their control. This enables a range of malicious activities including data exfiltration, system manipulation, and further privilege escalation within the network infrastructure managed by Vessio NetBill. The vulnerability essentially allows attackers to perform administrative actions without needing valid credentials or authentication tokens, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on this billing system.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique under the T1068 category, where adversaries leverage application vulnerabilities to gain elevated system access. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including the implementation of anti-CSRF tokens for all administrative actions, proper session management controls, and thorough input validation. The recommended defense in depth approach includes enabling CSRF protection mechanisms, implementing proper access controls, and conducting regular security audits of web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities. Additionally, this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating user intent and ensuring that all administrative actions require explicit confirmation through secure authentication mechanisms rather than relying solely on session cookies or other client-side identifiers.