CVE-2017-11365 in Symfony
Summary
by MITRE
Certain Symfony products are affected by: Incorrect Access Control. This affects Symfony 2.7.30 and Symfony 2.8.23 and Symfony 3.2.10 and Symfony 3.3.3. The type of exploitation is: remote. The component is: Password validator.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2017-11365 represents a critical access control flaw within Symfony framework components that affects multiple versions including 2.7.30, 2.8.23, 3.2.10, and 3.3.3. This issue specifically targets the password validator component which is a fundamental security element responsible for validating user credentials and enforcing authentication policies. The flaw allows for unauthorized access to systems through remote exploitation, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that rely on Symfony's authentication mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper access control validation within the password validation logic. When users attempt to authenticate or reset passwords through Symfony applications, the system fails to properly verify authorization levels for certain operations. This weakness enables attackers to bypass normal authentication procedures and potentially gain access to restricted functionalities or data that should only be available to authenticated users or administrators. The vulnerability exists at the application logic level where security checks are insufficiently enforced during password validation processes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using affected Symfony versions as it allows remote attackers to exploit the access control mechanism without requiring prior authentication. The impact extends beyond simple credential theft to potentially enabling full system compromise through privilege escalation attacks. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform unauthorized actions such as password resets for arbitrary user accounts, access restricted administrative functions, or manipulate user permissions within the application. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target vulnerable systems from anywhere on the internet without needing physical access or local network presence.
Security professionals should address this vulnerability through immediate patching of affected Symfony versions to the latest stable releases that contain the necessary access control fixes. Organizations must also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their Symfony applications to identify any custom implementations that might be susceptible to similar access control flaws. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which specifically addresses improper access control issues, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege that should be enforced in all authentication systems. Additionally, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials and valid accounts as a means of gaining access to systems, highlighting the importance of proper access control validation in preventing unauthorized system access.