CVE-2017-8081 in GetSimple
Summary
by MITRE
Poor cryptographic salt initialization in admin/inc/template_functions.php in GetSimple CMS 3.3.13 allows a network attacker to escalate privileges to an arbitrary user or conduct CSRF attacks via calculation of a session cookie or CSRF nonce.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8081 resides within the GetSimple Content Management System version 3.3.13, specifically in the admin/inc/template_functions.php file. This issue represents a critical weakness in the cryptographic implementation that fundamentally undermines the security of user authentication and session management mechanisms. The flaw manifests through improper initialization of cryptographic salt values, which are essential components in generating secure session identifiers and CSRF protection tokens that safeguard against unauthorized access and malicious cross-site requests.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from insufficient randomness in cryptographic salt generation, creating predictable patterns that adversaries can exploit to compromise session integrity. When cryptographic salts are improperly initialized or lack sufficient entropy, they become vulnerable to calculation and prediction by network attackers who can then reconstruct valid session cookies or CSRF nonces. This weakness directly violates security principles outlined in CWE-330, which addresses the use of insecure or insufficiently random cryptographic keys and salts. The vulnerability enables attackers to escalate privileges by calculating session identifiers that would normally require legitimate authentication, effectively allowing unauthorized users to assume the identity of any valid user within the system.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-8081 extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass comprehensive session hijacking capabilities that can lead to complete system compromise. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can not only impersonate existing users but also execute CSRF attacks against authenticated sessions, potentially leading to unauthorized modifications of content, user management operations, and system configuration changes. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1531 which addresses credential access through session hijacking. The attack surface is particularly concerning because it affects the administrative interface where critical system operations occur, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking persistent access to web applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the GetSimple CMS to version 3.3.14 or later, which contains the necessary cryptographic salt initialization fixes. Organizations should also implement additional security measures including the use of strong, randomly generated salts for all cryptographic operations, regular security auditing of session management components, and monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns. The fix addresses the underlying CWE-330 weakness by ensuring proper entropy in salt generation, preventing attackers from calculating predictable session identifiers or CSRF tokens. Network defenders should also consider implementing additional layers of protection such as secure session cookie attributes, CSRF token regeneration, and comprehensive logging of authentication events to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in web applications and serves as a reminder that seemingly minor flaws in security infrastructure can lead to complete system compromise.