CVE-2016-4876 in BaserCMS
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in baserCMS version 3.0.10 and earlier allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators to execute arbitrary PHP code via unspecified vectors.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2020
The CVE-2016-4876 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in baserCMS versions 3.0.10 and earlier, fundamentally undermining the application's authentication security mechanisms. This vulnerability operates at the core of web application security by exploiting the trust relationship between the application and its authenticated administrators, creating a pathway for remote attackers to execute unauthorized actions within the system's administrative context. The flaw specifically targets the CSRF protection mechanisms that should prevent malicious actors from leveraging legitimate administrator sessions to perform unintended operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the baserCMS framework. Attackers can craft malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrator sessions, bypassing the normal authentication checks that should verify the authenticity of incoming requests. This weakness allows for the execution of arbitrary PHP code through carefully constructed attack vectors that exploit the CMS's handling of administrative functions. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various means including crafted web pages, malicious email attachments, or compromised third-party websites that can trigger requests on behalf of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it provides attackers with administrative privileges within the baserCMS environment. Once exploited, attackers can manipulate the entire content management system, modify or delete content, alter user permissions, and potentially establish persistent backdoors within the application. The ability to execute arbitrary PHP code through this CSRF vector creates additional attack surface for further exploitation, including potential privilege escalation and data exfiltration. Organizations using affected baserCMS versions face significant risk of complete system compromise, data loss, and potential regulatory compliance violations due to the unauthorized access this vulnerability enables.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4876 should prioritize immediate patching of affected baserCMS installations to version 3.0.11 or later, which contains the necessary CSRF protection enhancements. Security administrators should implement additional defensive measures including robust input validation, proper session management, and comprehensive monitoring of administrative activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566 for malicious file execution through web applications. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls, enforcing strict content security policies, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in their web applications. Network segmentation and privileged access controls can further reduce the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts.