CVE-2016-6212 in Drupal
Summary
by MITRE
The Views module 7.x-3.x before 7.x-3.14 in Drupal 7.x and the Views module in Drupal 8.x before 8.1.3 might allow remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and obtain sensitive Statistics information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6212 represents a critical access control flaw within the Views module of Drupal content management systems. This issue affects Drupal 7.x installations running Views module versions 7.x-3.x prior to 7.x-3.14 and Drupal 8.x installations with Views module versions before 8.1.3. The vulnerability allows authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and obtain sensitive statistics information that should otherwise be restricted to authorized personnel only.
The technical nature of this flaw stems from improper validation of user permissions within the Views module's statistics reporting functionality. When users with specific roles access certain views that display statistical data, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user has adequate permissions to access the underlying statistics information. This creates a path for privilege escalation where authenticated users can potentially access data that should be restricted to administrators or users with specific statistical access rights. The vulnerability operates through unspecified vectors that likely involve manipulation of view configurations or direct access to statistical endpoints that bypass normal permission checking mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on Drupal platforms, particularly those handling sensitive data or requiring strict access controls. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can gain unauthorized access to statistical information including user activity patterns, content access statistics, system usage metrics, and potentially other sensitive operational data that may reveal system architecture or user behavior patterns. This information could be leveraged for further attacks, including social engineering campaigns or targeted exploitation of system weaknesses. The vulnerability affects not just the immediate statistical data but could potentially expose underlying system information that might aid in planning more sophisticated attacks.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to the patched versions of the Views module. For Drupal 7.x, this means updating to Views 7.x-3.14 or later, while Drupal 8.x installations should upgrade to Views 8.1.3 or newer. Security teams should also implement additional monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to statistical reporting features and review existing user permissions to ensure proper least-privilege principles are maintained. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves exploiting remote services for privilege escalation. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and ensure that all Drupal installations are properly patched and monitored for similar access control vulnerabilities.