CVE-2017-12970 in Apache2Triad
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Apache2Triad 1.5.4 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of authenticated users for requests that (1) add or (2) delete user accounts via a request to phpsftpd/users.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2025
The CVE-2017-12970 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within Apache2Triad version 1.5.4, a web-based file transfer protocol management system. This vulnerability exposes the application to remote exploitation where attackers can manipulate authenticated user sessions to perform unauthorized actions. The flaw specifically affects the phpsftpd/users.php endpoint, which handles user account management operations including both account creation and deletion functions. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the application's authentication flow, making it susceptible to malicious request forgery attacks that can be executed without the victim's knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to originate from authenticated users within the application's context. When an authenticated user visits a malicious page or clicks on a crafted link, the browser automatically includes the user's session cookies, enabling the attacker to execute administrative functions such as adding new user accounts or deleting existing ones. This occurs because the application fails to validate the authenticity of requests through the implementation of anti-CSRF tokens or other session integrity mechanisms that would normally prevent unauthorized operations from being executed on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability specifically targets the user management functionality of the system, making it particularly dangerous as it could allow attackers to gain persistent access to the system by creating new administrative accounts or removing legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account manipulation, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the authentication system and user access controls. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can effectively bypass the application's security measures and assume administrative privileges without requiring valid credentials or knowledge of user passwords. The consequences include potential unauthorized access to sensitive data, system compromise, and the ability to establish persistent backdoors through account creation. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using Apache2Triad for managing file transfer protocols, as it undermines the trust model of the application and could lead to complete system takeover if exploited successfully. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target network.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the application's user management endpoints. The solution requires the inclusion of unique, unpredictable tokens that are generated for each user session and validated on every state-changing request. Additionally, organizations should implement proper session management practices including secure cookie attributes, session timeout mechanisms, and regular security audits of web applications. The implementation of the Content Security Policy (CSP) header can also provide additional protection against cross-site scripting attacks that might be used in conjunction with CSRF exploits. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication and regular penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in their web applications. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering attacks that could leverage such vulnerabilities. Regular patch management and security updates are essential to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities in web-based applications.