CVE-2014-2989 in TAO
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Open Assessment Technologies TAO 2.5.6 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that create administrative accounts via a request to Users/add.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2989 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Open Assessment Technologies TAO platform version 2.5.6. This vulnerability resides in the user management functionality of the system, specifically in the Users/add endpoint which handles administrative account creation requests. The flaw stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to exploit the authentication state of legitimate administrators without their knowledge or consent. This vulnerability operates under the well-documented CWE-352 category which classifies cross-site request forgery as a weakness where a web application fails to validate that requests originate from the authenticated user. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the web application and the administrator's browser session, enabling unauthorized account creation with elevated privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fundamental principle that web applications should verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate users. In TAO 2.5.6, when an administrator navigates to the user management interface, their browser maintains an authenticated session with the application. The absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms means that a malicious attacker can craft a specially crafted HTTP request that, when triggered through social engineering or other means, executes the Users/add endpoint with administrative privileges. This flaw specifically targets the administrative account creation functionality, which is typically restricted to authorized personnel but becomes accessible to attackers who can manipulate the application's state through crafted requests. The vulnerability demonstrates a clear breakdown in the application's security controls, as it fails to implement the necessary protections against session hijacking and unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing TAO 2.5.6, as it provides attackers with the capability to establish persistent administrative access to the platform. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can create new administrative accounts that persist beyond the initial attack window, potentially allowing for long-term unauthorized access to sensitive assessment data, user information, and system configurations. This threat model aligns with the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the 'T1078 Valid Accounts' and 'T1548.001 Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism' tactics. The vulnerability also exposes the platform to potential data exfiltration, system modification, and denial of service scenarios, as the newly created administrative accounts would possess full access rights to all platform features. Organizations may face regulatory compliance issues, data breaches, and reputational damage if this vulnerability is exploited, particularly in educational environments where assessment data integrity is paramount.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-2989 must address the core deficiency in CSRF protection mechanisms within the TAO platform. The primary solution involves implementing robust anti-CSRF token validation across all administrative endpoints, including the Users/add functionality. Organizations should ensure that every state-changing request requires a unique, unpredictable token that is tied to the user's session and validated server-side before processing. This approach aligns with industry best practices outlined in OWASP's CSRF prevention guidelines and directly addresses the CWE-352 weakness. Additionally, implementing proper session management controls, including secure cookie attributes and session timeout mechanisms, can further reduce the attack surface. Organizations should also consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious request patterns, as well as implementing network segmentation to limit the impact of potential exploitation. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to a patched version of TAO that incorporates proper CSRF protection mechanisms, as this addresses the root cause rather than implementing temporary workarounds that may be bypassed or circumvented.