CVE-2015-5505 in Enterprise Manager
Summary
by MITRE
The HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) module 6.x-1.x before 6.x-1.1 and 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.2 for Drupal does not properly implement the "include subdomains" directive, which causes the HSTS policy to not be applied to subdomains and allows man-in-the-middle attackers to have unspecified impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-5505 affects the HTTP Strict Transport Security module for Drupal content management systems, specifically versions 6.x-1.x prior to 6.x-1.1 and 7.x-1.x prior to 7.x-1.2. This represents a critical security flaw in the implementation of HSTS policy enforcement that undermines the fundamental security protections intended to prevent protocol downgrade attacks and session hijacking. The HSTS mechanism is designed to ensure that web browsers only connect to websites using secure HTTPS connections, thereby preventing attackers from intercepting sensitive data through unencrypted HTTP traffic. When properly implemented, HSTS should enforce secure connections across an entire domain and all its subdomains, creating a comprehensive security boundary that protects against various attack vectors including cookie theft and credential interception.
The technical flaw in this Drupal module stems from improper handling of the "include subdomains" directive within the HSTS implementation. This directive is crucial because it extends the HSTS policy to all subdomains of the primary domain, effectively creating a security perimeter that encompasses the entire organizational web presence. The module's failure to correctly process this directive means that while the main domain may receive proper HSTS enforcement, any subdomains remain vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks because they do not receive the same secure connection requirements. This creates a significant security gap where attackers can exploit the inconsistency between the main domain and its subdomains, potentially allowing them to downgrade connections to HTTP or intercept sensitive information transmitted through subdomain communications. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it allows attackers to potentially bypass security measures that should protect all components of an organization's web infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple protocol enforcement failures, as it creates opportunities for attackers to exploit the inconsistent security posture across different parts of an organization's web presence. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform session hijacking attacks, steal authentication tokens, or intercept sensitive data transmitted through subdomain communications, potentially compromising user accounts and organizational data. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description suggests that the vulnerability could enable various attack vectors including credential theft, data exfiltration, and potential privilege escalation depending on the specific subdomain configurations and the nature of the data being transmitted. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on subdomain structures for different services, such as administrative portals, user communities, or specialized applications, where the security boundary created by HSTS is crucial for protecting sensitive operations.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to the patched versions of the Drupal HSTS module to address this vulnerability and ensure proper implementation of the include subdomains directive. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive testing of the updated module to verify that HSTS policies are properly enforced across all subdomains, along with monitoring for any unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of their web application configurations to identify any additional insecure subdomain implementations and ensure that all components of their web infrastructure properly enforce secure connections. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper security module implementation and the critical nature of ensuring that security mechanisms function as intended across the entire domain ecosystem, as recommended by security standards such as those outlined in the CWE catalog for web application security weaknesses. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under application security flaws, specifically related to protocol security implementations that can be exploited to bypass security controls and establish unauthorized access to network resources.