CVE-2016-15030 in TwoFactorAuth
Summary
by MITRE • 03/25/2023
A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in Arno0x TwoFactorAuth. This affects an unknown part of the file login/login.php. The manipulation of the argument from leads to open redirect. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. This product does not use versioning. This is why information about affected and unaffected releases are unavailable. The name of the patch is 8549ad3cf197095f783643e41333586d6a4d0e54. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-223803.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-15030 represents a critical security flaw in Arno0x TwoFactorAuth authentication system, specifically within the login/login.php file. This issue manifests as an open redirect vulnerability that allows attackers to manipulate the 'from' parameter to redirect users to malicious websites. The vulnerability's classification as problematic indicates its potential to facilitate various attack vectors including phishing campaigns and credential theft operations. The lack of versioning in the affected product complicates the assessment of specific vulnerable releases, making it challenging for security professionals to determine exact exposure levels across different deployments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the authentication flow. When the 'from' parameter is manipulated by an attacker, the system fails to properly validate the redirect destination, allowing arbitrary URLs to be processed without proper authorization checks. This flaw directly maps to CWE-601, which specifically addresses open redirect vulnerabilities where applications redirect users to untrusted websites. The vulnerability operates entirely within the web application layer, making it accessible through standard HTTP requests without requiring any specialized tools or privileges. The attack can be initiated remotely, meaning that an attacker needs only to craft a malicious link and deliver it to a target user, who would then be unknowingly redirected to a malicious site upon authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection, as it can serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks within the broader threat landscape. The open redirect vulnerability provides attackers with a mechanism to establish initial footholds in targeted environments, potentially enabling credential harvesting through phishing techniques. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers phishing campaigns that leverage social engineering to gain access to systems. The remote exploitation capability means that threat actors can target users across different geographical locations without requiring physical access to the network or system. Additionally, the vulnerability's presence in the authentication flow creates a particularly dangerous attack surface, as successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to protected resources and potentially escalate to full system compromise.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves applying the specific patch identified by the commit hash 8549ad3cf197095f783643e41333586d6a4d0e54. This patch should address the input validation issues in the login.php file by implementing proper URL validation and sanitization mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized redirects and monitor for suspicious redirect patterns in their web application logs. The absence of versioning information in the affected product requires security teams to perform thorough code reviews and vulnerability assessments to ensure complete remediation across all instances. Security professionals should also consider implementing network-level controls to detect and block suspicious redirect attempts, as well as conducting regular security testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the authentication infrastructure.