CVE-2015-4659 in ClickHeat
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in ClickHeat 1.14 and earlier allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change the administrator password via a config action to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2025
The CVE-2015-4659 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw present in ClickHeat version 1.14 and earlier, fundamentally compromising the security of administrative accounts within the web application. This vulnerability exists due to the application's failure to implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms, specifically in the administrative configuration interface that handles password changes. The flaw allows remote attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed without the administrator's knowledge or consent, effectively enabling unauthorized password changes that could lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the most privileged account within the application, making it a prime target for attackers seeking persistent access to the system. The attack vector leverages the fact that the index.php endpoint accepts configuration actions without verifying the authenticity of the request source, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between the web application and its authenticated administrators.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the administrative password change functionality. When an administrator performs legitimate administrative tasks through the web interface, the application should validate that the request originates from the authenticated user's browser session rather than from an external malicious source. However, ClickHeat fails to implement this crucial validation step, allowing attackers to construct specially crafted HTTP requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, perform unauthorized actions. The vulnerability specifically targets the config action parameter within the index.php endpoint, where the application processes administrative commands without proper session validation. This flaw aligns with CWE-352, which defines Cross-Site Request Forgery as a weakness where the application fails to validate the origin of requests, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should be implemented to prevent unauthorized modifications to critical system parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple password theft, as it provides attackers with a direct pathway to gain persistent administrative control over the ClickHeat installation. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can modify administrator credentials, access sensitive configuration data, and potentially use the compromised administrative account to launch further attacks against the network infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or any local credentials to exploit it, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the web application is publicly accessible. The attack can be executed through various means including phishing emails containing malicious links, compromised websites, or social engineering campaigns that trick administrators into visiting malicious sites that automatically submit forged requests. This type of vulnerability also falls under ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering tactics that manipulate users into performing actions that compromise their systems. The impact is amplified when considering that administrators often have elevated privileges and may be accessing the system from various locations, increasing the attack surface and the likelihood of successful exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-4659 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements within the ClickHeat application. The primary solution involves implementing proper CSRF protection mechanisms such as anti-CSRF tokens that are generated for each user session and validated upon each administrative request. These tokens should be unique per session and regenerated upon successful authentication to prevent replay attacks. Organizations should also implement proper input validation and request origin checking to ensure that administrative actions only originate from legitimate user sessions. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, particularly regarding authentication and session management. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities can provide additional layers of defense. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar flaws in other web applications, as this type of vulnerability is common in legacy web applications that have not been updated to follow modern security standards. The vulnerability also underscores the need for comprehensive security training for administrators and developers to understand the risks associated with CSRF attacks and the importance of implementing proper security controls from the initial development phase of web applications.