CVE-2015-5458 in PivotX
Summary
by MITRE
Session fixation vulnerability in fileupload.php in PivotX before 2.3.11 allows remote attackers to hijack web sessions via the sess parameter.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/23/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-5458 represents a critical session fixation weakness within the PivotX content management system prior to version 2.3.11. This flaw resides in the fileupload.php component and enables remote attackers to exploit web session hijacking through manipulation of the sess parameter. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly invalidate or regenerate session identifiers upon authentication, creating a persistent security risk that can be leveraged by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to user sessions. The issue manifests when an attacker can predict or control session identifiers, allowing them to establish a session with a known identifier and then hijack legitimate user sessions that subsequently use the same identifier. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-384 category of Session Fixation, which is classified as a high-severity weakness in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the session management mechanisms of PivotX where the application does not adequately handle session regeneration during the authentication process. When users access the fileupload.php script, the system accepts the sess parameter without proper validation or session identifier regeneration, allowing attackers to inject predetermined session identifiers. This flaw particularly affects the authentication flow where session tokens are not properly rotated or invalidated when users transition from anonymous to authenticated states. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited without requiring any special privileges or access to the underlying system, making it a significant threat to user session integrity and application security. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1563.002 - "Impairing Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools" and T1078 - "Valid Accounts" as attackers can leverage compromised sessions to maintain persistent access to the system.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-5458 extends beyond simple session hijacking to encompass potential data breaches, unauthorized administrative access, and complete system compromise. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can impersonate legitimate users, access sensitive content, modify or delete data, and potentially escalate privileges within the application. The vulnerability affects all users who interact with the fileupload.php functionality, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where administrators and regular users share the same system. Organizations using affected versions of PivotX face significant risk of unauthorized access to their content management systems, potentially leading to data loss, reputational damage, and compliance violations. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including web application attacks, cross-site scripting scenarios, or by simply manipulating URL parameters to inject malicious session identifiers.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-5458 should focus on immediate patching of the affected PivotX versions to 2.3.11 or later, which includes proper session management and regeneration mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive session management policies that include automatic session regeneration upon authentication, proper session timeout mechanisms, and validation of session identifiers. The fix should ensure that session tokens are properly invalidated when users log in and that new session identifiers are generated for authenticated users. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and sanitization of the sess parameter in fileupload.php would prevent attackers from injecting malicious session identifiers. Security measures should also include monitoring for suspicious session activity, implementing secure session cookie attributes such as HttpOnly and Secure flags, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts, while regular security updates and patch management processes should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in the future.