CVE-2013-3656 in Cybozu Office
Summary
by MITRE
Cybozu Office 9.1.0 and earlier does not properly manage sessions, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by leveraging knowledge of a login URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3656 affects Cybozu Office versions 9.1.0 and earlier, representing a critical session management flaw that undermines the application's authentication mechanisms. This issue stems from improper session handling within the web application framework, creating a pathway for remote attackers to circumvent the standard authentication process. The vulnerability specifically exploits the predictable nature of login URLs and session identifiers, allowing malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to user accounts without proper credentials.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the weak session management implementation where the application fails to properly validate session tokens and maintain secure session states. Attackers can leverage their knowledge of the login URL structure to construct valid session requests, effectively bypassing the authentication layer entirely. This flaw operates under the broader category of insecure session management as defined by CWE-613, which addresses insufficient session expiration and improper session handling mechanisms. The vulnerability enables what is known as session hijacking or session fixation attacks, where unauthorized parties can assume valid user sessions and access protected resources.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations using Cybozu Office as their collaborative platform. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to gain full access to user accounts, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized modifications, and privilege escalation. The impact extends beyond individual account compromise to affect entire organizational security postures, as attackers can access sensitive business information, collaborate tools, and shared resources. This vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically addressing authentication failures and session management weaknesses that can result in unauthorized access to confidential data.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers with basic knowledge of web application security. The attack vector is remote and does not require physical access to the system, enabling widespread compromise across networked environments. Organizations using affected versions of Cybozu Office face significant exposure risk, particularly in environments where the application handles sensitive business data or serves as a central collaboration platform. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials and the exploitation of authentication mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-3656 primarily involve immediate patching and upgrading to versions of Cybozu Office that address the session management flaws. Organizations should implement proper session token generation using cryptographically secure random number generators and ensure that session identifiers are sufficiently long and unpredictable. Additionally, implementing session timeout mechanisms, enforcing secure session cookie attributes, and establishing robust session validation procedures can help prevent exploitation. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit the impact of potential compromises, while regular security audits and penetration testing can help identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications within the organization's infrastructure.