CVE-2017-11726 in Manage
Summary
by MITRE
services/system_io/actionprocessor/System.rails in ConnectWise Manage 2017.5 is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), as demonstrated by changing an e-mail address setting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11726 affects ConnectWise Manage version 2017.5, specifically within the services/system_io/actionprocessor/System.rails component. This represents a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows unauthorized attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent. The flaw manifests when an attacker crafts malicious requests that leverage the victim's authenticated session to execute unintended operations. The demonstrated attack vector involves changing email address settings, which illustrates how CSRF can be exploited to modify user configurations and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive account information.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category of Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is classified as a web application security weakness that occurs when a web application fails to properly validate the origin of HTTP requests. The attack exploits the trust relationship between a web application and its users by forcing the victim's browser to submit a request that the application processes without proper authentication verification. The specific target of email address modification demonstrates how attackers can manipulate user account settings to redirect communications or potentially escalate privileges within the system.
The operational impact of this CSRF vulnerability extends beyond simple email address changes, as it represents a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture that could enable more severe attacks. An attacker could potentially leverage this vulnerability to modify other user settings, access restricted functionality, or even gain administrative privileges depending on the application's permission model. The vulnerability affects authenticated sessions, meaning that successful exploitation requires only that the victim be logged into the ConnectWise Manage system when visiting a malicious website or clicking on a compromised link. This makes the attack vector particularly dangerous as it can be executed through social engineering techniques or by compromising user sessions through various means.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF token mechanisms throughout the application's request processing flow. The system should generate unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session and validate these tokens on every state-changing request. Additionally, implementing proper HTTP headers such as Content Security Policy and SameSite cookie attributes can provide additional layers of protection. Organizations should also consider implementing request origin validation and ensuring that all user-facing actions require explicit confirmation through multi-factor authentication or secondary verification mechanisms. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in the application's architecture.
The vulnerability demonstrates how legacy web applications often lack proper CSRF protection mechanisms, particularly in components that handle user account modifications. This aligns with common ATT&CK techniques where adversaries exploit web application weaknesses to maintain persistent access and escalate privileges within target environments. The ConnectWise Manage platform, being a business management solution, handles sensitive customer data and system configurations, making this vulnerability particularly concerning from a cybersecurity perspective. Organizations using this software should immediately implement the recommended security controls and monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts that could indicate active attacks targeting this specific vulnerability.