CVE-2017-17568 in Posty Readymade Classifieds
Summary
by MITRE
Scubez Posty Readymade Classifieds has Incorrect Access Control for visiting admin/user_activate_submit.php (aka the backend PHP script), which might allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a direct request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17568 affects the Scubez Posty Readymade Classifieds platform, specifically targeting the admin/user_activate_submit.php backend script. This represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the application's security model and exposes sensitive administrative functionality to unauthorized users. The vulnerability resides in the application's permission verification mechanisms, where proper authentication and authorization checks are either missing or inadequately implemented, allowing attackers to bypass normal access controls through direct HTTP requests.
This issue manifests as an incorrect access control condition that enables remote attackers to directly access administrative endpoints without proper authentication credentials. The vulnerability specifically impacts the user activation submission functionality, which typically requires administrative privileges to operate. When an attacker can directly request the admin/user_activate_submit.php script, they gain access to administrative operations that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. This flaw operates under the CWE-285 access control weakness category, where the application fails to properly enforce authorization checks for privileged operations. The vulnerability can be classified under ATT&CK technique T1078 legitimate credentials, as it allows unauthorized access to administrative functions that would normally require proper authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with the ability to manipulate user accounts and potentially gain full administrative control over the classifieds platform. Attackers can exploit this weakness to activate or deactivate user accounts, modify user permissions, and potentially access sensitive data within the system. The remote nature of this attack vector means that adversaries do not require physical access or local network presence to exploit the vulnerability. This type of flaw can lead to data breaches, account takeovers, and unauthorized modifications to the classifieds platform's user base and content management capabilities. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor into the administrative interface, allowing attackers to perform actions that would normally require legitimate administrative credentials.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-17568 should focus on implementing proper authentication and authorization checks within the application's backend scripts. The development team must ensure that all administrative endpoints require valid session authentication and proper privilege verification before executing sensitive operations. This includes implementing robust input validation, session management controls, and proper access control lists that verify user roles before granting access to administrative functions. Security measures should include adding authentication middleware to protect the user_activate_submit.php endpoint, implementing proper session timeout mechanisms, and ensuring that all administrative operations require explicit authorization checks. Organizations should also implement network-level protections such as firewall rules that restrict direct access to administrative endpoints, and conduct regular security audits to identify similar access control vulnerabilities. The fix should be implemented in accordance with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, ensuring that all privileged operations are properly protected against unauthorized access attempts.