CVE-2015-8814 in Umbraco
Summary
by MITRE
Umbraco before 7.4.0 allows remote attackers to bypass anti-forgery security measures and conduct cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks as demonstrated by editing user account information in the templates.asmx.cs file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8814 affects Umbraco versions prior to 7.4.0 and represents a critical security flaw in the content management system's anti-forgery protection mechanisms. This vulnerability enables remote attackers to bypass essential security controls designed to prevent cross-site request forgery attacks, fundamentally compromising the integrity of user account management functions within the application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient anti-forgery token validation within the templates.asmx.cs file, which serves as a critical endpoint for user account modifications. The flaw allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the server, as the system fails to properly validate the authenticity of incoming requests. This weakness specifically impacts the web services interface where user account information can be modified, making it a direct vector for unauthorized administrative actions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk landscape for organizations utilizing affected Umbraco versions. Attackers can leverage this flaw to modify user accounts, potentially escalating privileges, disabling accounts, or gaining unauthorized access to sensitive system functions. The impact extends beyond simple account manipulation as it provides a foothold for further exploitation, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target network.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software implementations. This classification emphasizes that the flaw represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture to properly validate request authenticity. Additionally, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts as a means of gaining access, since successful exploitation would allow attackers to modify user accounts and potentially establish persistent access to the system.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to Umbraco version 7.4.0 or later, which includes proper anti-forgery token implementation and validation. Security teams should also implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the affected templates.asmx.cs endpoint. Regular security assessments should verify that all anti-forgery mechanisms are properly implemented and functioning across all web service endpoints. Furthermore, organizations should conduct comprehensive penetration testing to identify any other potential CSRF vulnerabilities within their Umbraco installations and ensure that all user account management functions properly validate request authenticity through robust token-based mechanisms.