CVE-2013-20005 in Qool
Summary
by MITRE • 03/16/2026
Qool CMS 2.0 RC2 contains a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows attackers to perform administrative actions by tricking logged-in users into visiting malicious web pages. Attackers can forge POST requests to the /admin/adduser endpoint with parameters like username, password, email, and level to create root-level user accounts without user consent.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2026
This cross-site request forgery vulnerability in Qool CMS 2.0 RC2 represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of administrative functions within the content management system. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms for sensitive administrative endpoints, specifically the /admin/adduser path that handles user account creation. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages that automatically submit POST requests to the vulnerable endpoint when unsuspecting administrators visit these sites. The flaw allows unauthorized privilege escalation by creating new user accounts with root-level permissions, effectively granting attackers complete control over the CMS administration interface. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental lack of request validation and session integrity checks within the CMS framework. When administrators navigate to malicious websites while logged into Qool CMS, their browsers automatically submit forged requests to the /admin/adduser endpoint with predetermined parameters including username, password, email, and access level. The application processes these requests without verifying the authenticity of the request source or confirming that the action originated from the legitimate user interface. This absence of proper CSRF token validation creates an exploitable condition where attackers can manipulate the application's administrative functions without requiring authentication credentials or bypassing any legitimate access controls. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates entirely within the context of the authenticated user's session, making it difficult to detect and trace back to the actual attacker.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized account creation, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the affected CMS instance. Once an attacker successfully creates a root-level user account, they can modify website content, install malicious plugins, access sensitive data, and potentially compromise the entire web infrastructure. The vulnerability affects all administrators who maintain active sessions with the CMS, making it particularly dangerous in shared or multi-user environments where multiple administrators might be logged in simultaneously. This type of attack can result in data breaches, website defacement, unauthorized access to sensitive user information, and potential lateral movement within network environments where the CMS is integrated with other systems. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it relies on social engineering to convince administrators to visit malicious websites, making it difficult to prevent through traditional network monitoring approaches.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of anti-CSRF tokens for all administrative endpoints, implementation of proper referer header validation, and enforcement of SameSite cookie attributes. The recommended approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering tactics that can be used to gain initial access through malicious web content. Additionally, organizations should enforce strict input validation on all administrative functions and implement session management controls that invalidate sessions upon suspicious activity detection. The fix requires modification of the CMS codebase to ensure that all administrative actions require explicit user consent through token-based validation mechanisms, as outlined in OWASP CSRF Prevention Cheat Sheet guidelines. Regular security audits should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other administrative endpoints, and comprehensive user education programs should be implemented to raise awareness about the dangers of visiting untrusted websites while logged into administrative interfaces.