CVE-2014-9459 in e107
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the AdminObserver function in e107_admin/users.php in e107 2.0 alpha2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that add users to the administrator group via the id parameter in an admin action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/10/2022
The CVE-2014-9459 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the e107 content management system version 2.0 alpha2. This vulnerability specifically targets the AdminObserver function located in the e107_admin/users.php file, creating a significant security risk for administrators who manage user accounts. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the system's authentication mechanisms by manipulating the id parameter during administrative actions, potentially allowing unauthorized privilege escalation. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation in the administrative user management interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the administrative user management functionality. When administrators perform actions such as adding users to the administrator group, the system fails to validate that the request originates from a legitimate administrative session. Attackers can craft malicious requests that leverage the trusted relationship between the victim administrator's browser and the vulnerable e107 application. The id parameter serves as the primary vector for exploitation, allowing attackers to manipulate administrative actions without proper authentication. This flaw aligns with CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities as those that permit unauthorized commands from a user that the web application trusts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the e107 administration interface. Successful exploitation allows attackers to elevate user privileges without knowledge of administrator credentials, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects the integrity of user management processes and can result in unauthorized modifications to administrative user groups, creating persistent backdoors within the system. Organizations using e107 2.0 alpha2 face significant risk of unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions, including user account manipulation, content modification, and system configuration changes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-9459 require immediate implementation of proper CSRF protection mechanisms throughout the e107 administrative interface. The most effective approach involves implementing anti-CSRF tokens for all administrative actions, particularly those involving user privilege modifications. Organizations should ensure that every administrative request includes unique, unpredictable tokens that are validated server-side before processing. Additionally, implementing proper origin validation checks and session management controls can prevent unauthorized requests from being processed. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of securing administrative interfaces and implementing defense-in-depth strategies as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security updates and patches should be applied immediately to address this vulnerability, as the alpha2 version was not intended for production use and contained numerous security flaws that were subsequently resolved in stable releases.