CVE-2017-17830 in Bus Booking Script
Summary
by MITRE
Bus Booking Script has CSRF via admin/new_master.php.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/17/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17830 resides within the Bus Booking Script application, specifically targeting the administrative interface through the admin/new_master.php endpoint. This represents a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows unauthorized attackers to perform administrative actions without proper authentication. The flaw exists due to insufficient validation of request origins and lack of anti-CSRF tokens in the administrative forms, making it possible for attackers to trick authenticated administrators into executing malicious requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the web application's administrative section. When administrators access the admin/new_master.php page, the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources or implement anti-CSRF tokens that would prevent unauthorized request execution. This allows attackers to craft malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities to send forged requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators. The vulnerability specifically affects the master account creation functionality within the bus booking system, potentially enabling attackers to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access to sensitive administrative features.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with potential administrative access to the bus booking system. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw could create new administrator accounts, modify existing user permissions, or manipulate booking data within the system. This compromise could lead to data breaches, unauthorized financial transactions, or complete system takeover. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no prior authentication or credentials from the attacker, as the malicious requests are executed on behalf of authenticated administrators. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that the vulnerability affects the core administrative functionality of the application, potentially allowing for widespread system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms throughout the application's administrative interface. The primary solution involves implementing unique, unpredictable anti-CSRF tokens for each user session that must be validated on every state-changing request. Additionally, the application should implement proper origin validation and implement the SameSite cookie attributes to prevent cross-site request forgery. Organizations should also ensure that all administrative endpoints require proper authentication and authorization checks, and that session management is secure with appropriate timeout mechanisms. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and secure authentication practices. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, as it allows attackers to gain elevated access through manipulation of authenticated sessions rather than direct authentication bypass methods.