CVE-2014-4614 in Piwigo
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Piwigo before 2.6.2 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that use the (1) pwg.groups.addUser, (2) pwg.groups.deleteUser, (3) pwg.groups.setInfo, (4) pwg.users.setInfo, (5) pwg.permissions.add, or (6) pwg.permissions.remove method.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/11/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4614 represents a critical cross-site request forgery weakness in Piwigo versions prior to 2.6.2, specifically affecting the web-based photo gallery management system. This flaw resides in the application's handling of API methods that control administrative user permissions and group management functions. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the affected API endpoints, allowing malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between authenticated administrators and the application's web interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of API method calls that require administrative privileges for execution. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or exploit existing user sessions to submit requests that modify group memberships, user information, and permission settings without the administrator's knowledge or consent. The six specific vulnerable methods - pwg.groups.addUser, pwg.groups.deleteUser, pwg.groups.setInfo, pwg.users.setInfo, pwg.permissions.add, and pwg.permissions.remove - all share a common flaw in their request validation process. These methods operate without proper anti-CSRF tokens or session validation that would normally prevent unauthorized requests from being executed on behalf of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it provides attackers with the ability to completely compromise administrative accounts within the Piwigo system. Successful exploitation allows unauthorized parties to modify user permissions, add malicious users to administrative groups, delete legitimate users, and alter group information, effectively granting them complete control over the photo gallery's user management and access control systems. This type of vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to complete system compromise, data theft, and unauthorized content modification. The attack vector typically involves social engineering techniques where administrators are tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable Piwigo installation.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers the exploitation of web applications through various attack vectors including CSRF. Organizations using vulnerable Piwigo installations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to version 2.6.2 or later, implementing proper CSRF token validation across all API endpoints, and establishing network-level controls to monitor for suspicious API activity. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing comprehensive input validation mechanisms to prevent unauthorized administrative actions in web-based applications.