CVE-2015-3349 in Htaccess Module
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the Htaccess module before 7.x-2.3 for Drupal allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) deploy or (2) delete an .htaccess file via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2019
The CVE-2015-3349 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Htaccess module for Drupal platforms prior to version 7.x-2.3. This vulnerability specifically targets administrative functions related to .htaccess file management, creating a significant security risk for Drupal websites that rely on this module for access control and security configuration. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms that fail to properly authenticate and authorize administrative actions performed through web requests, leaving systems vulnerable to exploitation by remote attackers who can manipulate administrative workflows without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the Htaccess module's handling of administrative requests for .htaccess file deployment and deletion operations. Attackers can leverage CSRF vectors to craft malicious requests that appear to originate from authenticated administrators, thereby bypassing the normal authentication checks that should validate administrative privileges. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the vulnerability description suggest that the flaw exists in the module's request processing logic, where it fails to implement proper CSRF token validation or session verification mechanisms that would normally prevent unauthorized administrative actions. This weakness operates at the application layer and specifically affects the module's ability to distinguish between legitimate administrative requests and maliciously crafted ones.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it allows attackers to potentially compromise entire web applications through manipulation of access control configurations. When an attacker successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability, they can deploy malicious .htaccess files that alter access controls, potentially creating backdoors or disabling security measures. Similarly, the ability to delete .htaccess files can remove critical security configurations, leaving the web application vulnerable to various attacks including directory traversal, unauthorized access to sensitive files, and potential privilege escalation within the application's security model. The implications are particularly severe for Drupal sites that rely heavily on .htaccess file configurations for security policies and access restrictions.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to Drupal Htaccess module version 7.x-2.3 or later, which contains the necessary CSRF protection mechanisms. The fix typically involves implementing proper CSRF token validation in administrative forms and ensuring that all requests modifying .htaccess files require explicit authentication verification. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of their Drupal installations to identify any other modules that may be susceptible to similar CSRF vulnerabilities, as the issue may extend beyond the Htaccess module itself. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative requests can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering, highlighting the broader attack surface implications of such authentication bypass vulnerabilities.