CVE-2015-6655 in Pligg
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Pligg CMS 2.0.2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that add an administrator via a request to admin/admin_users.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2024
The CVE-2015-6655 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within Pligg CMS version 2.0.2 that specifically targets administrative functions. This vulnerability resides in the administrative user management interface at admin/admin_users.php, where the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms to validate the origin and authenticity of administrative requests. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute unauthorized administrative actions by crafting malicious requests that leverage the trust relationship between the victim administrator and the vulnerable CMS system.
This CSRF vulnerability operates by exploiting the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms in the administrative user creation process. When an administrator navigates to the admin_users.php page to add new administrators, the application does not verify that the request originates from a legitimate administrative session. Attackers can construct malicious web pages or send phishing emails containing crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, result in unauthorized administrator account creation. The vulnerability specifically targets the administrative privilege escalation vector where attackers can add new administrative users without proper authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with a pathway to achieve persistent administrative control over the Pligg CMS installation. Once an attacker successfully hijacks administrative authentication through this CSRF attack, they can create new administrator accounts with full privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability undermines the fundamental security model of the CMS by allowing attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and perform administrative actions without proper authorization. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed through social engineering techniques, making it particularly dangerous for organizations using vulnerable versions of Pligg CMS.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078.004 (Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts) and T1548.001 (Abuse Elevation Control Mechanisms: Setuid and Setgid) as it enables unauthorized privilege escalation through legitimate administrative interfaces. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient anti-CSRF protection in web applications, where the application fails to implement proper request validation mechanisms that would prevent unauthorized operations from succeeding. Organizations should immediately implement CSRF token validation mechanisms, ensure proper session management, and apply the latest security patches to address this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-6655 include implementing robust anti-CSRF token mechanisms across all administrative functions, particularly in the admin_users.php endpoint where the vulnerability manifests. Organizations should ensure that all administrative requests include unique, unpredictable tokens that are validated server-side before processing. Additionally, implementing proper session management with secure session handling, enforcing strict referer header validation, and deploying Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can significantly reduce the attack surface. Regular security audits of web applications should include testing for CSRF vulnerabilities, and organizations should maintain up-to-date security patches for all CMS components. The most effective remediation involves upgrading to a patched version of Pligg CMS that implements proper CSRF protection mechanisms, as this addresses the root cause rather than merely mitigating symptoms of the vulnerability.