CVE-2017-18366 in Subrion CMS
Summary
by MITRE
Subrion CMS 4.1.5 has CSRF in blog/delete/.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/29/2023
CVE-2017-18366 represents a cross-site request forgery vulnerability discovered in Subrion CMS version 4.1.5 within the blog/delete/ endpoint. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw allows authenticated attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users without their knowledge or consent, exploiting the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms in the content management system's blog deletion functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the lack of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the blog deletion process. When a user navigates to the blog/delete/ endpoint, the application fails to verify the authenticity of the request origin, making it possible for malicious actors to craft malicious web pages or email attachments that trigger unintended deletions when victims visit compromised sites or click on malicious links. This vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users who have administrative privileges or sufficient permissions to delete blog entries, thereby amplifying the potential impact on system integrity and data availability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data loss scenarios, as it can lead to complete disruption of content management operations within the CMS environment. Attackers could systematically delete blog posts, potentially compromising the organization's communication channels, damaging reputation, and causing operational downtime. The vulnerability also poses risks to business continuity, as unauthorized modifications to blog content could be used to spread misinformation or malicious content. Additionally, the exploitation of this flaw may serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, potentially leading to privilege escalation or further system compromise, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566.001 for spearphishing with links.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-18366 should prioritize immediate implementation of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the blog deletion functionality. Organizations should ensure that all state-changing operations within the CMS require unique, unpredictable tokens that are tied to the user session and validated server-side before processing any deletion requests. The fix should also include implementing proper referer header validation and SameSite cookie attributes to prevent cross-origin requests from being processed automatically. Security patches should be applied immediately to all affected Subrion CMS installations, and administrators should conduct thorough security audits of other endpoints to identify similar CSRF vulnerabilities. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual deletion patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while user access controls should be reviewed to ensure least privilege principles are maintained. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and adherence to secure coding practices, particularly for web applications handling user-generated content and administrative functions.