CVE-2017-15205 in Kanboard
Summary
by MITRE
In Kanboard before 1.0.47, by altering form data, an authenticated user can download attachments from a private project of another user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15205 affects Kanboard versions prior to 1.0.47 and represents a critical access control flaw that allows authenticated users to bypass project privacy restrictions. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and authorization checks within the attachment download functionality, creating a privilege escalation scenario where malicious users can access private project resources they should not be permitted to view.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through form data manipulation, where an authenticated user can alter the parameters sent during attachment download requests. The flaw exists in the application's permission validation logic, which fails to properly verify whether the requesting user has legitimate access rights to the target project and its associated attachments. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software applications, and demonstrates how weak input sanitization can lead to unauthorized data access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations using Kanboard as their project management platform, as it compromises the confidentiality of private project data. When an authenticated user manipulates form data to download attachments from another user's private project, they gain access to sensitive information including documents, images, and other project-related materials that should remain restricted to authorized team members only. This breach of data confidentiality can lead to intellectual property theft, competitive disadvantage, and potential compliance violations depending on the nature of the project data.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately upgrade to Kanboard version 1.0.47 or later, which includes proper authorization checks for attachment downloads. The mitigation strategy should also involve implementing additional security measures such as regular security audits of application logic, input validation testing, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as it exploits legitimate user credentials to gain unauthorized access to restricted resources, potentially enabling further lateral movement within the system.
Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify similar authorization flaws in other applications within their environment, as this type of access control bypass represents a common pattern in web application security. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper session management and the need for robust input validation mechanisms to prevent parameter tampering attacks. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and additional logging mechanisms to detect and prevent such attacks, as well as establishing clear access control policies and regular security training for users to minimize the risk of exploitation.