CVE-2014-0813 in phpMyFAQ
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in phpMyFAQ before 2.8.6 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that modify settings.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2022
The CVE-2014-0813 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in phpMyFAQ versions prior to 2.8.6, which fundamentally undermines the application's authentication security model. This vulnerability classifies under CWE-352 as a classic CSRF attack vector that exploits the trust relationship between web applications and users. The flaw specifically enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated sessions by tricking users into executing unauthorized actions against the target application, where the attacker can modify critical system settings without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from phpMyFAQ's insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within its administrative interfaces. When users navigate to malicious websites or click on compromised links, the attacker can craft specially crafted requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions. This occurs because the application fails to verify that requests are genuinely initiated by the authenticated user rather than being submitted through malicious third-party sites. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets administrative functionality, allowing attackers to modify system configurations, user permissions, and other critical settings that can compromise the entire application infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it provides attackers with the capability to establish persistent access to the phpMyFAQ system. Attackers can leverage this flaw to alter database connection parameters, modify user accounts, change administrative passwords, or even inject malicious code into the application environment. The implications are severe for organizations relying on phpMyFAQ for database management, as unauthorized modifications can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or service disruption. The vulnerability affects all administrative functions within the application, making it a high-impact target for threat actors seeking to gain unauthorized control over database management systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-0813 require immediate implementation of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms throughout the phpMyFAQ application interface. Organizations should upgrade to phpMyFAQ version 2.8.6 or later, which includes comprehensive CSRF protection measures that generate and validate unique tokens for each user session. The solution aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for bypassing application access controls and addresses the broader category of credential access attacks. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers, validating HTTP referer headers, and ensuring that all administrative requests require explicit user confirmation. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of all application interfaces to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities, as this flaw demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining robust session management and request validation mechanisms in web applications.