CVE-2017-12790 in MetInfo
Summary
by MITRE
Metinfo 5.3.18 is affected by: Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF). The impact is: Information Disclosure (remote). The component is: admin/index.php. The attack vector is: The administrator clicks on the malicious link in the login state.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-12790 represents a critical Cross Site Request Forgery flaw within Metinfo version 5.3.18, specifically affecting the administrative interface component located at admin/index.php. This CSRF vulnerability arises from the absence of proper validation mechanisms that would verify the authenticity of requests originating from authorized administrative sessions. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate administrative actions through deceptive means, exploiting the trust relationship between the web application and authenticated administrators.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the web application's failure to implement anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within administrative functions. When an administrator navigates to the vulnerable admin/index.php page and subsequently clicks on a maliciously crafted link, the application processes the request without verifying that it originated from the legitimate administrative session. This absence of request validation creates a pathway for attackers to execute unauthorized administrative actions, potentially leading to information disclosure and other malicious activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the administrative interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform actions such as accessing sensitive configuration data, modifying user permissions, or extracting confidential information from the system. The remote nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or direct network connectivity to the administrative interface, making the attack surface significantly broader.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. This classification emphasizes the fundamental flaw in the application's request validation mechanisms and the potential for unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of authenticated users. The attack vector described in the CVE specifically references the scenario where administrators are tricked into clicking malicious links while logged into the administrative interface, representing a classic social engineering approach to exploit CSRF vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the Metinfo application. The most effective approach involves integrating unique, unpredictable tokens for each administrative session that must be validated before any administrative action is processed. Additionally, implementing proper referer header validation and implementing SameSite cookies for administrative sessions would significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious administrative requests, while ensuring that all administrative functions require explicit authentication verification before execution.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing comprehensive security controls within administrative interfaces, as these areas represent the most privileged access points within web applications. Regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on authentication and authorization mechanisms are essential to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components of the system. Organizations utilizing Metinfo should prioritize immediate patching of this vulnerability, as the combination of remote exploitability and administrative access privileges creates a severe security risk that could lead to complete system compromise if left unaddressed.