CVE-2013-2713 in KrisonAV
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in users_maint.html in KrisonAV CMS before 3.0.2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that create user accounts via a crafted request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2025
The CVE-2013-2713 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the KrisonAV content management system affecting versions prior to 3.0.2. This vulnerability exists in the users_maint.html component and specifically targets the administrative authentication mechanism of the CMS. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the system's trust in authenticated sessions by crafting malicious requests that can create user accounts without proper authorization. The vulnerability fundamentally undermines the security model of the CMS by allowing unauthorized entities to perform administrative actions through forged requests that appear legitimate to the target system.
This CSRF vulnerability operates by leveraging the browser's automatic handling of authentication cookies and session tokens. When an administrator navigates to a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the attacker can construct a request that appears to originate from the legitimate administrator session. The users_maint.html component fails to implement proper anti-CSRF token validation or request origin verification, making it susceptible to attacks where the victim's authenticated session is hijacked to perform unauthorized account creation operations. The vulnerability specifically targets the administrative interface where user account management occurs, making it particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to escalate privileges or establish persistent access points within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account creation, as it provides attackers with a potential pathway to establish persistent access within the KrisonAV environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could create administrative accounts, modify existing user permissions, or potentially gain deeper system access depending on the CMS's privilege structure. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the system or knowledge of administrative credentials, making it particularly concerning for web applications that handle sensitive data or require administrative control. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1566.001 for Phishing, as it exploits legitimate administrative sessions through social engineering or malicious web content delivery.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability can be analyzed through CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities as a direct result of missing or inadequate validation of request sources. The flaw demonstrates a failure in implementing proper request verification mechanisms that would ensure requests originate from legitimate sources within the application. Security controls that should have been implemented include anti-CSRF tokens embedded in forms, origin header validation, and referer header checking. The vulnerability also relates to CWE-640, which addresses weak password recovery mechanisms, as the ability to create accounts without proper authentication can be leveraged to establish persistent access. Organizations should implement comprehensive CSRF protection measures including unique tokens for each user session, proper request validation, and security headers to prevent such attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-2713 should focus on immediate patching of the KrisonAV CMS to version 3.0.2 or later, where the CSRF vulnerability has been addressed. Beyond patching, organizations should implement additional security controls such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious cross-site request patterns. The implementation of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms throughout the application ensures that each request contains a unique, unpredictable token that validates the request's authenticity. Security headers including Content Security Policy and X-Frame-Options should be configured to prevent malicious sites from embedding or framing the CMS interface. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar CSRF vulnerabilities in other components of the system. Additionally, administrative users should be educated about the risks of visiting untrusted websites and the importance of maintaining secure browsing practices to prevent exploitation through social engineering attacks that leverage CSRF vulnerabilities.