CVE-2017-8382 in Admidio
Summary
by MITRE
admidio 3.2.8 has CSRF in adm_program/modules/members/members_function.php with an impact of deleting arbitrary user accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8382 affects Admidio version 3.2.8 and represents a cross-site request forgery flaw that enables unauthorized account deletion operations. This security weakness exists within the members_function.php module of the Admidio web application, which is commonly used for managing membership and user accounts in organizations. The flaw allows attackers to manipulate the application's functionality through crafted requests that appear legitimate to the victim's browser, exploiting the absence of proper validation mechanisms for user actions.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient verification of the request source and lack of anti-CSRF tokens in the affected endpoint. When a user visits a malicious website or clicks on a compromised link while authenticated to the Admidio system, the attacker can trigger unauthorized deletion operations against user accounts without the victim's knowledge or consent. This occurs because the application does not validate whether the request originates from a legitimate administrative interface or from an external malicious source, creating an exploitable gap in the authentication and authorization flow.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data loss, as it compromises the integrity and availability of user account management within the Admidio platform. An attacker who successfully exploits this flaw can delete arbitrary user accounts, potentially disrupting organizational membership systems, removing access for legitimate users, and causing operational disruptions. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on Admidio for membership management, as it could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, account lockouts, and potential escalation to broader system compromise if the application has elevated privileges.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this CSRF vulnerability, including the immediate deployment of anti-CSRF tokens throughout all administrative functions and the implementation of proper request origin validation. The fix should align with industry standards such as CWE-352, which categorizes CSRF vulnerabilities under the broader class of insecure direct object references and cross-site request forgery issues. Security measures should also incorporate the ATT&CK framework's concept of privilege escalation through web application vulnerabilities, where attackers can leverage CSRF flaws to gain unauthorized administrative capabilities. Additionally, regular security assessments and input validation controls should be enforced to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application.
The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of implementing robust security controls in web applications, particularly those handling user account management functions. Organizations must ensure that all administrative operations include proper authentication verification and request validation mechanisms to prevent unauthorized modifications to system state. Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar CSRF vulnerabilities across the entire application stack, as these flaws can serve as entry points for more sophisticated attacks targeting organizational infrastructure and user data integrity.