CVE-2017-15200 in Kanboard
Summary
by MITRE
In Kanboard before 1.0.47, by altering form data, an authenticated user can add a new task to a private project of another user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-15200 represents a critical access control flaw in the Kanboard project management platform that affects versions prior to 1.0.47. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and authorization checks within the application's task creation functionality, allowing authenticated users to manipulate form data and submit requests that bypass normal permission controls. The flaw specifically targets the project membership validation mechanisms, enabling malicious actors to exploit the system's trust model and gain unauthorized access to private project resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the web application's handling of HTTP POST requests containing task creation parameters. When an authenticated user attempts to add a task to a project, the application should verify that the user has proper authorization to modify the target project before processing the request. However, the vulnerable code fails to properly validate the project ownership or membership status during form submission, allowing attackers to modify the project identifier field in the submitted form data. This manipulation enables users to submit tasks to projects they do not own or have access to, effectively circumventing the application's core access control policies.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it creates a persistent security risk that can be exploited by both malicious insiders and external attackers who have gained access to legitimate user accounts. Once exploited, this flaw allows unauthorized task creation in private projects, potentially leading to information disclosure, data integrity violations, and disruption of project workflows. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer without requiring elevated privileges or complex attack vectors, making it easily exploitable by users with basic authentication credentials.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-285 (Improper Authorization) and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers may use legitimate credentials to exploit this weakness. The flaw represents a failure in the principle of least privilege, where the application does not adequately enforce access controls during task creation operations. Organizations using vulnerable versions of Kanboard face significant risk of unauthorized project interference, potential data leakage, and compromise of sensitive project information that should remain private to authorized team members.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate upgrade to Kanboard version 1.0.47 or later, which implements proper authorization checks for task creation operations. Additionally, administrators should review and enforce proper access controls, implement network segmentation to limit access to project management systems, and conduct regular security assessments of web applications. The vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation and authorization checking in web applications, particularly for operations that modify system state or access restricted resources. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging of task creation activities to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain audit trails for security investigations.