CVE-2015-7859 in Joomla
Summary
by MITRE
The com_contenthistory component in Joomla! 3.2 before 3.4.5 does not properly check ACLs, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7859 affects Joomla! versions 3.2 through 3.4.4, specifically within the com_contenthistory component. This represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the application's security model by failing to properly enforce authorization checks. The issue stems from inadequate access control list validation mechanisms that permit unauthorized users to bypass normal security boundaries and access content history information that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems, making it a fundamental flaw in the application's permission architecture.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to exploit the missing ACL validation in the content history component, enabling them to retrieve sensitive information through unspecified attack vectors. This flaw essentially creates a backdoor path that bypasses the normal Joomla! user permission system, allowing users with minimal privileges to access historical content revisions that typically require higher authorization levels. The component's failure to validate user permissions before displaying content history data represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and access control enforcement.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to Joomla! installations as it enables information disclosure attacks that can reveal sensitive historical content data. Attackers can potentially access revision histories of articles, pages, and other content items that may contain confidential information, user credentials, or system configuration details. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the system or local network presence, making it particularly dangerous for web-facing applications. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad and can lead to data breaches or insider threat scenarios.
Security practitioners should immediately upgrade affected Joomla installations to identify any other components that might be vulnerable to similar access control flaws. Additionally, implementing network monitoring and intrusion detection systems can help identify attempts to exploit this vulnerability, while maintaining up-to-date security patches across all web applications constitutes the most effective defense strategy against such threats. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' and demonstrates how insufficient access control can be leveraged to gain unauthorized access to sensitive system information.