CVE-2014-9006 in Monstra
Summary
by MITRE
Monstra 3.0.1 and earlier uses a cookie to track how many login attempts have been attempted, which allows remote attackers to conduct brute force login attacks by deleting the login_attempts cookie or setting it to certain values.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9006 affects Monstra CMS versions 3.0.1 and earlier, presenting a significant security weakness in the authentication mechanism that directly enables brute force attack capabilities. This flaw stems from the application's reliance on a client-side cookie to track login attempt counts, creating a fundamental design issue that undermines the security of the authentication system. The cookie-based approach to tracking authentication attempts represents a critical misconfiguration that fails to implement proper server-side session management and rate limiting controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to manipulate the login_attempts cookie value directly within their browser session, effectively bypassing any intended security measures designed to prevent unauthorized access attempts. Attackers can either delete the cookie entirely or set it to specific values that may reset or manipulate the tracking mechanism, thereby enabling them to conduct unlimited brute force login attacks without triggering any protective measures. This weakness directly violates the principle of secure authentication design where session tracking and attempt monitoring should be implemented server-side with proper state management and access controls.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk environment where attackers can systematically attempt to guess valid credentials without facing any meaningful rate limiting or account lockout mechanisms. The impact extends beyond simple credential guessing as it provides attackers with a reliable method to conduct prolonged brute force operations against user accounts, potentially leading to unauthorized system access, data breaches, and privilege escalation. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require any local access or complex exploitation techniques, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that are publicly accessible.
The weakness aligns with CWE-305 authentication flaws and demonstrates poor implementation of access control mechanisms as outlined in the CWE database. This vulnerability also maps to several ATT&CK tactics including credential access and privilege escalation, where adversaries can leverage the brute force capabilities to gain unauthorized access to administrative accounts. The lack of proper session management and server-side validation creates an attack surface that directly enables credential stuffing and password spraying techniques, making it easier for threat actors to compromise user accounts through automated attack tools.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper server-side session management with robust rate limiting and account lockout mechanisms that do not rely on client-side cookie manipulation. Organizations should enforce server-side tracking of authentication attempts with time-based exponential backoff mechanisms, implement proper account lockout policies, and utilize multi-factor authentication to reduce the effectiveness of brute force attacks. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar client-side state management issues that could create analogous vulnerabilities in authentication systems.