CVE-2015-3363 in Contact Form Fields Module
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Contact Form Fields module before 6.x-2.3 for Drupal allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that delete fields via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2019
The CVE-2015-3363 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Contact Form Fields module for Drupal 6.x versions prior to 2.3. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the administrative functionality of Drupal sites that utilize the Contact Form Fields module. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated administrator sessions through carefully crafted malicious requests that exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to perform administrative actions without legitimate authorization, specifically targeting the deletion of form fields which can severely compromise the site's functionality and data integrity. The unspecified vectors suggest that the attack could be executed through various methods including malicious web pages, email attachments, or compromised third-party sites that could trigger the CSRF attack when administrators visit them. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-352, which defines Cross-Site Request Forgery as a weakness where the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources. The attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which encompasses social engineering methods that manipulate users into executing actions that benefit the attacker. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation as the deletion of form fields can disrupt the entire contact form functionality of the website, potentially leading to complete service degradation.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the Contact Form Fields module's administrative interface. When administrators access the form field management section of the module, the application should verify that the request originates from a legitimate source by requiring a valid anti-CSRF token. However, in vulnerable versions, this validation mechanism fails to properly authenticate the source of requests, allowing attackers to forge requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators. The flaw is particularly insidious because it operates silently in the background, requiring no special privileges or complex exploitation techniques from the attacker's perspective. The vulnerability exists in the module's handling of administrative requests where the application does not adequately distinguish between legitimate administrative actions and forged requests initiated by malicious actors. This lack of proper session validation creates a persistent threat that can be exploited repeatedly, as long as the attacker can convince an administrator to visit a malicious page or perform an action that triggers the vulnerable code path. The vulnerability's persistence is further exacerbated by the fact that it affects the core administrative functionality of the module, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to gain unauthorized control over website content management capabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-3363 extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as successful exploitation can result in complete administrative control over affected Drupal sites. When an attacker successfully executes a CSRF attack against an administrator's session, they can delete form fields that may contain critical contact information, user submission data, or other essential components of the website's functionality. The deletion of these fields can cause cascading failures in the website's contact systems, potentially leading to service outages, data loss, or complete compromise of the site's ability to receive user submissions. Organizations using vulnerable versions of the Contact Form Fields module face significant risk of reputational damage, regulatory compliance violations, and potential financial losses due to service disruption. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to perform additional malicious activities such as modifying form configurations, redirecting submissions, or even deleting entire contact forms that could be used for customer support, feedback collection, or other critical business functions. The attack's success rate is particularly high because it exploits the trust relationship between the web application and authenticated administrators, making it difficult for users to detect unauthorized actions. Furthermore, the vulnerability's impact is amplified in environments where administrators frequently access the administrative interface, as the attack surface increases with each legitimate session that could be hijacked.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by upgrading to Drupal 6.x-2.3 or later versions of the Contact Form Fields module, which contain the necessary CSRF protection mechanisms. The upgrade process should include thorough testing to ensure that existing functionality remains intact while implementing the new security controls. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring and logging measures to detect potential CSRF attack attempts, particularly focusing on unusual administrative activities or unexpected form field modifications. Network security controls such as web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious requests that attempt to manipulate administrative functions without proper authentication tokens. Regular security assessments should include verification that all installed Drupal modules are updated to their latest secure versions, with particular attention to modules handling administrative functionality. The implementation of multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts can provide additional defense-in-depth against session hijacking attacks, though it does not directly address the CSRF vulnerability itself. Security teams should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed, reducing the effectiveness of potential CSRF attack vectors. The vulnerability's remediation aligns with industry best practices for patch management and vulnerability remediation as outlined in NIST SP 800-128 and ISO 27001 standards, emphasizing the importance of timely security updates and comprehensive risk assessment procedures.