CVE-2013-3269 in Cybozu Office
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Cybozu Office before 8.1.6 and 9.x before 9.3.0 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that change mobile passwords, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-2305.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2018
The CVE-2013-3269 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Cybozu Office versions prior to 8.1.6 and 9.x versions prior to 9.3.0. This vulnerability operates at the web application level and specifically targets the authentication mechanisms within the mobile password change functionality. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection measures, allowing them to manipulate authenticated sessions without legitimate user consent or knowledge. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it directly impacts user authentication by enabling unauthorized password modifications through forged requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar protective mechanisms within the mobile password change requests. When users access the mobile password modification interface, the application fails to validate that the request originates from the legitimate user interface rather than a malicious third-party website. This weakness creates an attack vector where an attacker can craft malicious web pages or emails containing embedded requests that, when triggered by authenticated users, execute unauthorized password changes. The flaw operates through the standard HTTP request forgery patterns where the victim's browser automatically includes authentication cookies with the malicious request, effectively impersonating the user.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple password compromise as it fundamentally undermines the authentication security model of the Cybozu Office system. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized access to user accounts, potentially leading to complete account takeover scenarios. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Cybozu Office is used for business communications and document management, as compromised accounts could lead to data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information, and disruption of business operations. The attack requires minimal technical expertise to execute, making it a significant threat vector for both casual attackers and more sophisticated threat actors.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of proper CSRF token validation mechanisms, ensuring that all state-changing requests require verification tokens that are tied to the user's active session. The recommended remediation involves upgrading to Cybozu Office versions 8.1.6 or 9.3.0, which contain the necessary patches to address the CSRF implementation gaps. Security teams should also consider implementing additional monitoring for suspicious authentication activities and user password changes, as well as reviewing network traffic for anomalous request patterns. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for credential access through phishing attacks that exploit CSRF vulnerabilities. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify other potential CSRF vulnerabilities within their web applications and ensure that all authentication flows properly validate request origins and user intent through robust token-based mechanisms.