CVE-2017-15208 in Kanboard
Summary
by MITRE
In Kanboard before 1.0.47, by altering form data, an authenticated user can remove automatic actions from a private project of another user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2023
This vulnerability exists in Kanboard versions prior to 1.0.47 and represents a critical access control flaw that allows authenticated users to manipulate form data to remove automatic actions from private projects owned by other users. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and authorization checks within the application's project management functionality. When users interact with project settings or automatic action configurations, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user has appropriate permissions to modify actions associated with projects they do not own. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization validation where the application trusts user-supplied data without proper verification of ownership or permission levels. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-285 category of insufficient authorization checks, which is a fundamental security weakness that can lead to privilege escalation and unauthorized modifications of system resources. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious form submissions that target specific project identifiers and automatic action configurations, effectively allowing them to disrupt the operational workflows of other users' private projects.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation as it can severely compromise the integrity of private project workflows and user expectations. When automatic actions are removed from private projects, it can lead to complete loss of automated notifications, task assignments, or workflow triggers that users have configured for their projects. This disruption can result in missed deadlines, communication failures, and operational inefficiencies for the affected project owners. The vulnerability particularly impacts collaborative environments where users rely on automated processes to maintain project consistency and workflow automation. From an attacker's perspective, this represents a stealthy method of causing operational disruption without necessarily gaining direct access to sensitive data, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where project integrity is paramount. The flaw demonstrates poor input sanitization practices and inadequate session validation mechanisms that should be enforced at multiple layers of the application stack.
Security practitioners should implement several mitigations to address this vulnerability including immediate patching to version 1.0.47 or later where proper authorization checks have been implemented. The fix requires robust input validation that verifies user ownership before allowing modifications to project configurations, including automatic actions. Implementing proper access control lists and ensuring that all project modification operations include authorization verification against the current user's permissions is essential. Additionally, logging and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of project configuration changes that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review their application's form handling mechanisms to ensure that all user-supplied data is properly validated and that authorization checks are performed before any modification operations are executed. The vulnerability highlights the importance of defense-in-depth strategies and the necessity of implementing multiple layers of security controls to prevent unauthorized modifications. This issue aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access, as exploitation relies on authenticated access and can lead to broader system compromise if not properly addressed. Regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on authorization controls should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other parts of the application.