CVE-2015-3366 in Alfresco Module
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Alfresco module before 6.x-1.3 for Drupal allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that delete an alfresco node via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2017
The CVE-2015-3366 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Alfresco module for Drupal systems prior to version 6.x-1.3. This vulnerability exposes web applications to unauthorized actions that can be executed without the knowledge or consent of legitimate users. The flaw specifically enables remote attackers to manipulate the authentication mechanisms of affected systems, allowing them to perform destructive operations such as node deletion within the Alfresco content management system. The vulnerability operates through unspecified attack vectors that exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms in the module's implementation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar protective measures in the module's request handling process. When a user authenticates to a Drupal site that has the vulnerable Alfresco module installed, their session credentials become susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors who can craft specially designed requests that appear to originate from legitimate authenticated users. The vulnerability particularly affects the deletion functionality of Alfresco nodes, which represents a severe operational risk since it allows attackers to remove critical content, documents, or data structures from the content management system. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category of Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is classified as a serious web application security weakness that can lead to unauthorized actions being performed on behalf of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data loss, as it can compromise the integrity and availability of content management systems that rely on Alfresco integration. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform unauthorized deletions of critical business documents, media assets, or system configurations that could severely disrupt business operations. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the system or sophisticated network positioning, making it particularly dangerous in environments where Drupal sites are publicly accessible. Organizations using vulnerable versions of the Alfresco module may experience complete service disruption, data corruption, or loss of critical business information that could have significant financial and reputational consequences.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily involve upgrading to version 6.x-1.3 or later of the Alfresco module, which includes proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Administrators should also implement additional defensive measures such as monitoring for unusual deletion patterns in Alfresco content, implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious requests, and ensuring that users are educated about the risks of clicking on untrusted links or visiting compromised websites. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing proper session management and request validation in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as content delivery network protection, rate limiting for administrative functions, and regular security assessments of third-party modules to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced into their systems.