CVE-2017-17905 in Car Rental Script
Summary
by MITRE
PHP Scripts Mall Car Rental Script has CSRF via admin/sitesettings.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17905 affects the PHP Scripts Mall Car Rental Script, specifically targeting the administrative interface through the admin/sitesettings.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 within the web application's security controls, where the application fails to properly validate and authenticate requests originating from the administrative section. The vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or other sufficient protection mechanisms in the site settings management functionality, making it susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors who can craft crafted requests to modify critical system configurations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the lack of proper request validation within the admin/sitesettings.php file, which processes administrative configuration changes. When an administrator performs actions such as modifying system settings, updating database configurations, or changing user permissions, the application should verify the authenticity of the request origin. However, the absence of CSRF protection tokens means that an attacker can construct malicious web pages or emails containing embedded requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, will modify the application's configuration without the administrator's knowledge or consent. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues in web applications. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental failure in implementing proper session management and request validation controls that should be present in any secure web application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with the ability to manipulate critical system configurations, potentially leading to complete system compromise. An attacker could modify database connection strings, alter user privileges, change administrative passwords, or disable security features through the compromised administrative interface. This vulnerability essentially grants attackers elevated privileges within the application's administrative context, making it particularly dangerous for applications handling sensitive data or critical business operations. The attack vector typically involves social engineering techniques where administrators are tricked into visiting malicious websites or opening compromised email attachments that contain embedded CSRF attacks. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1548 which covers abuse of privileges, as attackers can leverage compromised administrative sessions to execute unauthorized operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-17905 should focus on implementing robust CSRF protection mechanisms within the affected application. The most effective approach involves incorporating anti-CSRF tokens into all administrative forms and requests, ensuring that each request contains a unique, unpredictable token that is validated server-side before processing. Additionally, implementing proper session management controls, including session timeout mechanisms and secure session handling, would significantly reduce the attack surface. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution and regular security audits to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The remediation process should include thorough code review to ensure all administrative endpoints properly validate request authenticity and implement proper access controls. Furthermore, network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to detect and block suspicious requests attempting to exploit this vulnerability. Regular security updates and patch management procedures should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions of the application.