CVE-2014-6288 in Powermail Extension
Summary
by MITRE
The powermail extension 2.x before 2.0.11 for TYPO3 allows remote attackers to bypass the CAPTCHA protection mechanism via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6288 affects the powermail extension version 2.x prior to 2.0.11 in the TYPO3 content management system. This represents a critical security flaw that undermines the intended CAPTCHA protection mechanism designed to prevent automated form submissions and spam attacks. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass the CAPTCHA validation process through unspecified attack vectors, potentially enabling malicious actors to flood forms with automated submissions and exploit the system's contact and feedback mechanisms.
The technical flaw resides within the powermail extension's implementation of CAPTCHA validation logic, where the security mechanism fails to properly verify user input or maintain state information required for CAPTCHA verification. This weakness creates a path for attackers to submit forms without providing valid CAPTCHA responses, effectively neutralizing the anti-spam protection that the extension is designed to provide. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability may stem from improper session handling, inadequate input validation, or flawed state management within the extension's CAPTCHA implementation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple spam flooding, as it compromises the integrity of form-based data collection mechanisms within TYPO3 installations. Attackers can exploit this weakness to conduct automated form submissions that may be used for various malicious purposes including data harvesting, denial of service attacks against form endpoints, or as part of larger reconnaissance campaigns. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on TYPO3 for web content management and form processing, potentially exposing sensitive contact information and undermining the trust associated with legitimate form submissions. The bypass capability undermines the fundamental security assumptions that organizations make when implementing CAPTCHA protection for their web forms.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to powermail extension version 2.0.11 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as this represents the official patch provided by the extension developers. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring of form submission patterns and consider implementing rate limiting mechanisms as defensive measures. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-346, which addresses "Origin Validation Error" and represents a failure in validating the source of input data, and may also relate to CWE-287, which deals with improper authentication mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential or session prediction and can be leveraged as part of broader attack campaigns targeting web application security controls. Organizations should also review their overall web application security posture and consider implementing additional layers of protection including web application firewalls and comprehensive input validation measures to mitigate similar risks across their digital infrastructure.