CVE-2017-5959 in GeniXCMS
Summary
by MITRE
CSRF token bypass in GeniXCMS before 1.0.2 could result in escalation of privileges. The forgotpassword.php page can be used to acquire a token.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-5959 represents a critical security flaw in GeniXCMS versions prior to 1.0.2 that enables unauthorized privilege escalation through cross-site request forgery token bypass. This vulnerability specifically targets the forgotpassword.php page which serves as an attack vector for extracting authentication tokens that should normally be protected from unauthorized access. The flaw allows malicious actors to exploit the token generation mechanism to manipulate the authentication flow and potentially gain elevated privileges within the system. The issue stems from inadequate validation and protection mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized token acquisition and reuse.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a weakness in the web application's session management and token validation processes. When users request password recovery through the forgotpassword.php endpoint, the system generates a token that should be tied to specific user sessions and validated against legitimate requests. However, the vulnerability allows attackers to bypass these protections by acquiring valid tokens through the password recovery mechanism and subsequently using them to perform unauthorized actions. This represents a classic case of insufficient access control and token management that violates fundamental security principles. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be categorized under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass potential data compromise and unauthorized system access. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to user accounts, modify system configurations, or even take complete control of the CMS environment. The token bypass mechanism essentially allows attackers to impersonate legitimate users and perform administrative functions without proper authentication. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in content management systems where administrators often have extensive privileges over the entire platform. The attack could be executed through various means including social engineering, phishing campaigns, or direct exploitation of the vulnerable page.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of mitigation to address this vulnerability effectively. The primary solution involves upgrading to GeniXCMS version 1.0.2 or later where the token bypass issue has been resolved through improved validation mechanisms and enhanced session management. Additionally, organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding to prevent token leakage through the password recovery process. The mitigation strategy should also include monitoring for suspicious activities related to password reset requests and implementing rate limiting to prevent abuse of the recovery mechanism. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and credential access phases where adversaries attempt to leverage weak authentication mechanisms to gain higher-level system access. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and security monitoring solutions to detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability.