CVE-2017-7566 in MyBB
Summary
by MITRE
MyBB before 1.8.11 allows remote attackers to bypass an SSRF protection mechanism.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7566 affects MyBB versions prior to 1.8.11 and represents a significant security flaw that undermines the application's server-side request forgery protection mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically targets the software's ability to prevent unauthorized internal network access through external requests, creating a pathway for attackers to circumvent intended security controls. The flaw resides in the application's handling of external resource requests and internal network communications, allowing malicious actors to bypass critical security checks that should prevent access to internal systems or services.
This vulnerability operates at the intersection of web application security and network access controls, where the protection mechanisms designed to prevent server-side request forgery fail to properly validate or sanitize external input. The technical implementation flaw enables attackers to craft requests that appear to originate from external sources while actually accessing internal network resources or services that should remain protected from external access. The bypass occurs during the validation process where the application fails to properly restrict or filter requests that could potentially lead to internal system reconnaissance or exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform internal network reconnaissance, access internal services, and potentially escalate privileges within the affected environment. Attackers can leverage this flaw to probe internal network configurations, access sensitive internal systems, or perform further attacks against other vulnerable components within the same network segment. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where MyBB is deployed in corporate or enterprise settings where internal network access controls are critical for maintaining security boundaries.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-918, which addresses server-side request forgery issues, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation. Organizations using affected MyBB versions face increased risk of internal network compromise, as the vulnerability allows attackers to potentially bypass network security controls that typically protect internal systems from external access. This creates a dangerous scenario where attackers can use the web application as a pivot point to access internal resources that should remain protected from external network access.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected MyBB installations to version 1.8.11 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to address the SSRF protection bypass. Organizations should also implement additional network-level controls such as firewalls and access control lists to limit access to internal resources from the web application server. Regular security assessments of web applications should include testing for similar SSRF vulnerabilities, and organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding practices to prevent similar issues from occurring in other components of their web infrastructure.