CVE-2015-4134 in PHPWind
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in goto.php in phpwind 8.7 allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a URL in the url parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2022
The CVE-2015-4134 vulnerability represents a critical open redirect flaw discovered in phpwind version 8.7's goto.php script that enables remote attackers to manipulate user redirection behavior. This vulnerability falls under the category of insecure direct object reference issues and specifically manifests when the application fails to properly validate or sanitize URL parameters before processing them for redirection purposes. The flaw exists within the web application's handling of the url parameter in the goto.php endpoint, where user-supplied input is directly used to construct redirect URLs without adequate validation mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's lack of proper input sanitization and validation procedures. When a user accesses the goto.php script with a malicious url parameter, the application processes this input without verifying whether the target URL belongs to the legitimate domain or contains potentially dangerous protocols. This allows attackers to craft URLs that redirect users to malicious sites, effectively bypassing the application's intended navigation flow. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer and can be exploited through simple HTTP requests without requiring authentication or elevated privileges. The flaw aligns with CWE-601 Open Redirect vulnerability classification, which specifically addresses situations where applications redirect users to external sites without proper validation.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-4134 extends beyond simple redirection functionality and creates significant security risks for both end-users and the organization maintaining the vulnerable application. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns by redirecting users to carefully crafted malicious websites that mimic legitimate interfaces, thereby stealing credentials or sensitive information. The vulnerability can also be used to spread malware through drive-by downloads or to conduct social engineering attacks that exploit user trust in the legitimate application. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability provides a low-effort, high-impact vector for compromising user security. The implications align with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 Phishing, where the open redirect serves as an initial access vector for more complex attack chains.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-4134 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security architecture improvements. Organizations should implement strict input validation that verifies all redirect URLs against a predefined whitelist of trusted domains or applies rigorous sanitization techniques to eliminate potentially dangerous protocols and characters. The application should enforce absolute URL validation and reject any redirection attempts that do not originate from known, legitimate sources. Additionally, developers should implement proper URL parsing and validation functions that can identify and neutralize malicious redirection attempts. Security patches for phpwind version 8.7 should be applied immediately, and organizations should conduct thorough security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities across their application portfolio. The remediation approach should follow security best practices outlined in OWASP Top 10 and the CWE guidelines for preventing open redirect vulnerabilities, emphasizing the importance of input validation, domain whitelisting, and proper URL handling mechanisms.