CVE-2014-9022 in Web Component Roles
Summary
by MITRE
The Webform Component Roles module 6.x-1.x before 6.x-1.8 and 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.8 for Drupal allows remote attackers to bypass the "disabled" restriction and modify read-only components via a crafted form.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/07/2018
The Webform Component Roles module for Drupal presents a critical access control vulnerability that undermines the security posture of web applications relying on this component. This vulnerability affects versions 6.x-1.x prior to 6.x-1.8 and 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.8, creating a pathway for remote attackers to circumvent intended security restrictions. The flaw specifically targets the module's handling of form component permissions, allowing malicious actors to manipulate read-only fields that should remain inaccessible to unauthorized users. This represents a significant bypass of the module's core security mechanisms designed to maintain data integrity and user access controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and permission checking within the module's form processing logic. When users submit forms through the webform component, the module fails to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary privileges to modify specific form components. This weakness enables attackers to craft specially formatted requests that manipulate form field states, effectively transforming read-only components into editable fields. The vulnerability manifests as a failure in the module's authorization checks, where it does not adequately validate user permissions against the component's intended access restrictions. This flaw aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, and demonstrates how insufficient privilege validation can lead to unauthorized modifications of system components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially compromising entire web applications that depend on form security. Attackers can exploit this weakness to modify critical form fields, inject malicious data, or alter form behavior in ways that may affect data integrity, user privacy, and system availability. The bypass of read-only restrictions means that sensitive fields intended to protect data from unauthorized modification become accessible to attackers, potentially leading to data corruption, unauthorized access to protected information, or manipulation of form processing logic. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using Drupal webforms for sensitive data collection, user registration, or administrative functions where maintaining read-only integrity is crucial for security. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access or local system compromise, making it particularly dangerous in multi-tenant or publicly accessible environments.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through official security updates from the Drupal project, specifically upgrading to versions 6.x-1.8 or 7.x-1.8 and later. System administrators should conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and review access logs for suspicious activities related to form submissions. Additional mitigations include implementing network-level controls such as web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious form submission patterns, conducting regular security audits of webform configurations, and ensuring proper access control policies are enforced at multiple layers of the application stack. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and highlights the risks associated with legacy software components that may contain unaddressed security flaws. The issue also reinforces the need for proper security testing and code review processes to identify access control bypass vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments.