CVE-2014-6299 in forum
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the mm_forum extension before 1.9.3 for TYPO3 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of users for requests that create posts via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/11/2017
The CVE-2014-6299 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the mm_forum extension for TYPO3 content management systems. This vulnerability exists in versions prior to 1.9.3 and creates a significant security risk by allowing remote attackers to manipulate authenticated user sessions. The flaw specifically targets the extension's ability to handle post creation requests, enabling malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the mm_forum extension's request processing logic. When users access the forum functionality, the extension should verify that requests originate from legitimate sources and that users have properly authenticated. However, the vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious requests that bypass these security checks. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the flaw may involve multiple attack surfaces including form submissions, API endpoints, or direct URL manipulation that could be exploited through social engineering or by embedding malicious content within compromised websites.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates severe implications for TYPO3 installations using the mm_forum extension. Attackers could potentially post malicious content, modify existing posts, delete forum entries, or perform other unauthorized actions that compromise the integrity of the forum. The authentication hijacking aspect means that even if users believe they are operating securely within their authenticated sessions, attackers can leverage these sessions to perform actions they would not normally be authorized to execute. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the extension's security model and could lead to complete compromise of the forum's content and user data.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications. This classification indicates that the flaw represents a well-documented security pattern where applications fail to validate the origin of requests, making them susceptible to attacks that exploit the trust relationship between users and web applications. Additionally, this vulnerability could map to ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering tactics that leverage web-based attacks to gain unauthorized access to systems. Organizations using affected TYPO3 installations face potential reputational damage, content tampering, and data integrity violations that could impact user trust and regulatory compliance requirements.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-6299 should prioritize immediate upgrade to mm_forum version 1.9.3 or later, which contains the necessary security patches. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including comprehensive input validation, token-based request verification, and monitoring for suspicious forum activity. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and security headers can provide additional layers of defense. Regular security assessments of TYPO3 extensions and adherence to security best practices for web application development should be maintained to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the system.