CVE-2013-0205 in restws
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the RESTful Web Services (restws) module 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.2 and 7.x-2.x before 7.x-2.0-alpha4 for Drupal allows 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-2013-0205 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Drupal RESTful Web Services module, specifically affecting versions 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.2 and 7.x-2.x prior to 7.x-2.0-alpha4. This vulnerability resides in the module's handling of authentication tokens and request validation mechanisms, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between legitimate users and the web application. The flaw enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, fundamentally compromising the security model of the affected Drupal installations. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-352 indicates it operates as a classic cross-site request forgery attack vector where the application fails to properly validate the origin of requests, allowing attackers to forge legitimate requests that appear to come from authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of the referer header and missing anti-forgery tokens in the RESTful Web Services module's API endpoints. When users authenticate to a Drupal site using the restws module, their session credentials are typically validated through token-based mechanisms or referer checks that should prevent unauthorized requests from being processed. However, the vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious requests that bypass these security controls, effectively hijacking the authentication context of arbitrary users. The attack vector operates by tricking authenticated users into visiting malicious web pages or clicking on compromised links that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable Drupal site, leveraging the user's existing session cookies to perform actions without their explicit consent. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for credential access through phishing and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage in web services exploitation.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-0205 extends beyond simple data theft or modification, as it enables full authentication hijacking capabilities that can result in complete account compromise and potential lateral movement within affected systems. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can perform any action that an authenticated user is authorized to perform, including creating new user accounts, modifying content, accessing sensitive data, or even escalating privileges within the Drupal environment. The remote nature of this attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the target system or network proximity, making it particularly dangerous for web applications hosting sensitive information. The vulnerability's presence in the RESTful Web Services module specifically impacts organizations relying on Drupal's API capabilities for integration with other systems, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate data flows and compromise the integrity of connected applications. Organizations using affected Drupal versions face significant risk of unauthorized access to their content management systems, with potential cascading effects on connected services and databases.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-0205 focus primarily on immediate version upgrades to patched releases of the restws module, which address the core CSRF validation issues through proper token implementation and referer header validation. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all Drupal installations receive timely updates, particularly for contributed modules that may not receive security updates through standard Drupal core release cycles. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers to restrict cross-origin requests, configuring proper referer validation at the web server level, and establishing monitoring for suspicious API activity patterns. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls with CSRF detection capabilities and conduct thorough security assessments of all RESTful API endpoints to identify potential additional vulnerabilities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices for web applications and the necessity of proper input validation and authentication token management in API implementations, aligning with security frameworks such as OWASP API Security Top 10 and NIST cybersecurity guidelines for web application security.