CVE-2013-3583 in EPM Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in saveProperties.html in Corporater EPM Suite allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that change passwords.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/14/2024
The CVE-2013-3583 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Corporater EPM Suite application's saveProperties.html component. This vulnerability stems from the application's insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation in the password modification functionality. The flaw enables remote attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed without the knowledge or consent of authenticated users, effectively allowing unauthorized password changes that compromise user accounts and system security.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The technical implementation flaw occurs when the saveProperties.html page fails to validate that incoming requests originate from legitimate sources within the same application context. Attackers can exploit this by creating specially crafted web pages or embedding malicious links that, when visited by authenticated users, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable EPM Suite to change passwords. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets authentication mechanisms rather than merely data exposure, allowing attackers to gain persistent access to user accounts and potentially escalate privileges within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple password compromise, as it provides attackers with a foothold for further attacks within the corporate network. Once an attacker successfully changes a user's password, they can maintain access to sensitive corporate resources, potentially leading to data breaches, privilege escalation, and lateral movement within the network. The vulnerability affects the entire EPM Suite user base, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where multiple users interact with the system. The attack vector is easily exploitable through social engineering techniques, where users might inadvertently click on malicious links or visit compromised websites, triggering the unauthorized password change without their knowledge.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigations including the immediate deployment of anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations within the EPM Suite, particularly those involving user authentication and password management. The solution should incorporate proper origin validation and implement strict session management controls that require re-authentication for sensitive operations. Security controls should also include monitoring for unusual password change patterns and implementing multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of credential compromise. Additionally, regular security assessments and input validation improvements should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application. The remediation process should align with industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten Project and NIST cybersecurity guidelines for web application security.