CVE-2015-3351 in Administrator
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the Log Watcher module before 6.x-1.2 for Drupal allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) enable, (2) disable, or (3) delete a report via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/18/2019
The CVE-2015-3351 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Log Watcher module for Drupal platforms prior to version 6.x-1.2. This vulnerability exposes administrative functions to unauthorized manipulation through CSRF attacks, where malicious actors can exploit the lack of proper authentication verification mechanisms. The affected module operates within the Drupal content management system ecosystem, specifically targeting administrative interfaces that manage log monitoring and reporting functionalities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient CSRF token validation within the Log Watcher module's administrative endpoints. When administrators perform operations such as enabling, disabling, or deleting reports, the module fails to properly validate that these requests originate from authenticated administrative users. This absence of proper request verification creates a pathway for attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the Drupal application, thereby bypassing standard authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability manifests through unspecified vectors that typically involve tricking administrators into visiting malicious web pages or clicking on compromised links that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable Drupal installation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it allows remote attackers to gain unauthorized administrative control over log monitoring functions. Attackers can manipulate report configurations to either disable critical monitoring capabilities, delete important log data, or enable malicious report generation that could serve as a backdoor for further exploitation. This compromise directly affects the integrity and availability of system logging mechanisms that organizations rely upon for security monitoring, incident response, and compliance auditing. The vulnerability particularly threatens organizations that depend heavily on Drupal's logging capabilities for security operations, as it undermines the fundamental security assumptions of administrative access controls.
Organizations affected by CVE-2015-3351 should prioritize immediate patching of the Log Watcher module to version 6.x-1.2 or later, which implements proper CSRF token validation. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive audits of their Drupal installations to identify any other modules that might be susceptible to similar CSRF vulnerabilities. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, while implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls and strict access controls for administrative interfaces. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence through administrative interface manipulation, potentially enabling broader attack vectors including data exfiltration and system compromise. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched versions to ensure that legitimate administrative functions remain operational while the CSRF protection mechanisms are properly enforced.