CVE-2015-3380 in Feature Set Module
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the Feature Set module for Drupal allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrator for requests that (1) enable or (2) disable a module via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-3380 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Feature Set module for Drupal platforms. This vulnerability resides in the administrative functionality of the content management system, specifically targeting the module management capabilities that are essential for system administrators to control and configure various features. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms that fail to properly authenticate and verify the legitimacy of requests attempting to modify module states within the Drupal environment. The vulnerability affects versions of Drupal where the Feature Set module is installed and actively used, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these platforms for their web infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when administrators perform administrative tasks through web interfaces that do not properly validate the origin of requests or implement adequate anti-CSRF protection mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages or email attachments that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to the Drupal system to enable or disable modules. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the vulnerability description suggest that the flaw may manifest through multiple attack surfaces including but not limited to form submissions, API endpoints, or direct URL manipulation. This particular vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the web application and the authenticated user, allowing malicious actors to perform unauthorized actions with the privileges of the administrator.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-3380 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as enabling or disabling modules can fundamentally alter the security posture and functionality of a Drupal installation. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially disable security modules, enable backdoor modules, or manipulate the feature set to create persistent access points within the system. This capability directly aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation and persistence domains, where attackers seek to maintain long-term access and control over compromised systems. The vulnerability's potential for enabling malicious modules makes it particularly dangerous as it could allow attackers to establish covert communication channels or deploy additional malicious components within the web application. Organizations using affected Drupal versions face significant risk of unauthorized access, data compromise, and potential complete system takeover through exploitation of this CSRF weakness.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-3380 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Drupal installations to address the underlying CSRF implementation flaws in the Feature Set module. Organizations must ensure that all instances of the module are updated to versions that properly implement anti-CSRF tokens and validate request origins through proper authentication mechanisms. Security teams should also implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious requests attempting to modify module states. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing additional security measures including regular security audits of module configurations, monitoring for unauthorized module changes, and establishing secure administrative access protocols that limit exposure to CSRF attacks. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining updated software versions and proper security controls as outlined in industry best practices for web application security management.