CVE-2014-8670 in vBulletin
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in go.php in vBulletin 4.2.1 allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a URL in the url parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8670 represents a critical open redirect flaw discovered in the go.php script of vBulletin version 4.2.1. This security weakness resides within the forum software's handling of user-provided URLs, specifically in the url parameter processing mechanism. The vulnerability allows malicious actors to manipulate the redirection behavior by injecting crafted URLs into the application's redirect functionality, potentially enabling them to direct users to malicious websites without their knowledge or consent.
This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-601, which specifically addresses open redirect vulnerabilities where applications redirect users to external websites without proper validation of the target URL. The flaw exploits the lack of input sanitization and validation in the go.php script, which processes user-supplied URLs and fails to properly verify or sanitize the destination addresses before executing redirects. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer, where user interactions are processed, making it accessible to attackers who can leverage it through various attack vectors including web-based phishing campaigns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection, as it provides attackers with a sophisticated means to conduct phishing attacks and social engineering campaigns. When users click on links that appear legitimate within the vBulletin environment, they may be unknowingly redirected to attacker-controlled domains designed to harvest credentials, personal information, or install malware. The vulnerability affects the trust relationship between the forum users and the legitimate website, as users may not recognize that they are being redirected to potentially malicious sites. This creates a significant risk for organizations using vBulletin, particularly those with high user engagement where the likelihood of encountering such malicious links increases substantially.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-8670 should focus on immediate patching of the vBulletin software to version 4.2.2 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations should also implement input validation mechanisms that reject URLs containing suspicious patterns or external domains that are not explicitly authorized for redirection. Network-level controls such as web application firewalls can provide additional protection by monitoring and blocking suspicious redirect patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper URL validation and the principle of least privilege in web application security, where applications should only redirect to domains that have been explicitly approved. Security teams should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify similar issues in other applications and ensure that proper security controls are in place to prevent unauthorized redirection attacks. The incident highlights the need for comprehensive security testing and the implementation of secure coding practices that validate all user inputs before processing them in security-sensitive functions.