CVE-2013-1907 in Commons
Summary
by MITRE
The Commons Group module before 7.x-3.1 for Drupal, as used in the Commons module before 7.x-3.1, does not properly restrict access to groups, which allows remote attackers to post arbitrary content to groups via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-1907 affects the Commons Group module within the Drupal content management system, specifically versions prior to 7.x-3.1. This security flaw represents a critical access control weakness that undermines the fundamental security model of group-based content management systems. The Commons module serves as a social networking framework for Drupal, enabling organizations to create and manage community groups with shared content and collaboration features. When compromised, this vulnerability allows unauthorized users to bypass normal access restrictions and post content to groups they should not have access to, effectively undermining the integrity of group-based content management.
The technical implementation flaw lies in the module's insufficient validation of user permissions when processing group-related content submissions. Attackers can exploit unspecified vectors to manipulate the group membership and content posting mechanisms, enabling them to inject arbitrary content into protected groups. This vulnerability specifically targets the authorization checks that should prevent users from posting content to groups where they lack proper permissions. The flaw manifests as a failure to properly validate whether the authenticated user has the necessary privileges to contribute content to a specific group, allowing privilege escalation through crafted requests that bypass normal access controls. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-285 category of Improper Authorization, where the system fails to properly enforce access control policies.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple content injection, as it can lead to significant security breaches within collaborative environments. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to post malicious content, spam groups with irrelevant material, or even inject harmful scripts if the platform allows user-generated content execution. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Drupal Commons for community management, potentially compromising the trust and integrity of group discussions, shared resources, and collaborative workspaces. This flaw particularly threatens environments where groups contain sensitive information or represent organizational units with restricted access policies, as unauthorized content posting can disrupt workflow processes and compromise data integrity.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Commons module version 7.x-3.1 or later, which contains the necessary access control fixes. Additionally, administrators should conduct thorough audits of group permissions and content access policies to identify any potential exploitation that may have occurred. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1566.001 for Phishing, as attackers can leverage this weakness to establish persistent presence within groups and potentially escalate privileges through content manipulation. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring for unusual content posting patterns and user behavior analytics to detect potential exploitation attempts. The fix addresses the core authorization issue by strengthening permission checks and ensuring proper validation of user credentials against group membership requirements, thereby preventing unauthorized access to group resources and maintaining the integrity of collaborative environments.