CVE-2013-4871 in Tq Seo
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the TEQneers SEO Enhancements (tq_seo) extension before 5.0.1 for TYPO3 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of unspecified victims via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2018
The CVE-2013-4871 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the TEQneers SEO Enhancements extension for TYPO3 content management system. This vulnerability exists in versions prior to 5.0.1 and creates a significant security risk by enabling remote attackers to hijack user authentication sessions without proper authorization. The vulnerability operates through unspecified attack vectors that allow malicious actors to manipulate the TYPO3 authentication mechanism, potentially leading to unauthorized administrative actions or data compromise.
The technical nature of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the extension's administrative interfaces. When users navigate to malicious websites or receive crafted requests while authenticated to TYPO3, the vulnerable extension fails to properly verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the TYPO3 administration environment. This flaw aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities, and demonstrates the classic pattern where applications fail to validate the source of HTTP requests that modify state or perform privileged operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to perform administrative actions within the TYPO3 system. Attackers might modify content, create new user accounts, alter system configurations, or access sensitive information through the hijacked authenticated sessions. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways exist for exploitation, potentially including email-based attacks, malicious website embedding, or social engineering campaigns that leverage the trust relationship between the TYPO3 backend and authenticated users.
Organizations running vulnerable versions of the TEQneers SEO Enhancements extension face significant risk of unauthorized access and potential system compromise. The vulnerability affects the core authentication mechanisms of TYPO3, making it particularly dangerous as it could lead to complete system takeover if attackers successfully exploit the CSRF vector. Security teams should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems, as the vulnerability could be actively exploited in the wild given the nature of CSRF attacks and their relatively straightforward implementation.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate upgrade to version 5.0.1 or later of the TEQneers SEO Enhancements extension, which incorporates proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Additionally, organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring for suspicious administrative activities and consider network-level protections such as web application firewalls to detect and block malicious CSRF attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date third-party extensions and implementing robust security testing procedures for all components within CMS environments. Security professionals should also consider implementing additional authentication controls such as two-factor authentication and regular security audits to reduce the attack surface and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other system components. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for proper input validation and CSRF protection mechanisms in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive administrative functions within content management systems.