CVE-2014-8773 in Revolution
Summary
by MITRE
MODX Revolution 2.x before 2.2.15 allows remote attackers to bypass the cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection mechanism by (1) omitting the CSRF token or via a (2) long string in the CSRF token parameter.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8773 affects MODX Revolution 2.x versions prior to 2.2.15 and represents a critical weakness in the content management system's cross-site request forgery protection mechanism. This flaw resides in the application's security architecture where the CSRF protection system fails to properly validate the authenticity of requests, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability specifically targets the validation logic that should ensure requests originate from legitimate sources within the application's own domain. The issue manifests through two distinct attack vectors that exploit different aspects of the CSRF token implementation, undermining the fundamental security principle that prevents unauthorized operations from being performed without explicit user consent.
The technical implementation flaw occurs when the application processes CSRF tokens submitted with requests, where the validation mechanism either completely ignores missing tokens or improperly handles excessively long token strings. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious requests that either omit the required CSRF token entirely or submit malformed token parameters that bypass the validation checks. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and validation routines within the MODX security framework, where the system fails to enforce proper token length constraints or validate the presence of required security parameters. This type of flaw typically falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities, and represents a failure in the application's request validation and authentication mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it enables attackers to perform authenticated actions within the MODX administration interface without proper authorization. An attacker could potentially modify content, create new user accounts, delete resources, or execute other administrative functions that would normally require legitimate user credentials and explicit consent. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the entire MODX installation since it allows unauthorized modification of the content management system itself. This represents a significant threat to organizations relying on MODX for their web presence, as the compromise of administrative functions could lead to complete system takeover, data exfiltration, or service disruption. The attack vectors are particularly concerning because they require minimal sophistication to exploit, making them attractive to both automated attack tools and skilled adversaries.
Organizations affected by CVE-2014-8773 should immediately implement the vendor-provided patch for MODX Revolution 2.2.15, which addresses the CSRF token validation issues through enhanced input sanitization and proper validation routines. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive security testing to verify that all CSRF protection mechanisms function correctly, including verification of token generation, validation, and expiration processes. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious authentication patterns, while regular security audits should review the application's security configuration and access controls. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and the need for robust security mechanisms in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access through social engineering. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security layers such as web application firewalls and multi-factor authentication to provide defense in depth against similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other components of their web infrastructure.