CVE-2013-7346 in Symphony
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Symphony CMS before 2.3.2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that conduct SQL injection attacks via the sort parameter to system/authors/, related to CVE-2013-2559.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2026
The CVE-2013-7346 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in Symphony CMS versions prior to 2.3.2 that enables remote attackers to exploit administrative sessions for executing malicious SQL injection attacks. This vulnerability operates through the sort parameter within the system/authors/ endpoint, creating a dangerous attack vector that combines CSRF exploitation with database manipulation capabilities. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of user requests and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation in the administrative interface, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the CMS system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting specially formatted requests that leverage the sort parameter to manipulate the SQL query execution within the Symphony CMS framework. Attackers can inject malicious SQL commands through the sort parameter, potentially gaining unauthorized access to database contents, modifying administrative records, or executing arbitrary database operations. The vulnerability's relationship to CVE-2013-2559 demonstrates how CSRF flaws can compound into more severe security issues when combined with other attack vectors, creating a multi-layered threat that can escalate from session hijacking to full database compromise.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session theft, as it provides attackers with the ability to manipulate the CMS's administrative functionality while maintaining persistent access to the system. The exploitation can result in complete administrative control over the CMS, allowing unauthorized users to modify content, add malicious users, alter security settings, and potentially exfiltrate sensitive data from the database. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the CMS system, as attackers can manipulate author records and potentially cause system instability through malicious SQL injection payloads. Organizations using affected Symphony CMS versions face significant risk of unauthorized content modification and potential data breaches.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-7346 require immediate implementation of the official security patch released by Symphony CMS developers, which addresses the CSRF token validation issue and strengthens authentication mechanisms. System administrators should also implement additional security measures including input validation for all parameters, regular security audits of CMS components, and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and demonstrates techniques that map to ATT&CK tactic T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities and T1078 for valid accounts usage. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests targeting the sort parameter and establish comprehensive incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts.