CVE-2017-9365 in BigTree
Summary
by MITRE
CSRF exists in BigTree CMS through 4.2.18 with the force parameter to /admin/pages/revisions.php - for example: /admin/pages/revisions/1/?force=false. A page with id=1 can be unlocked.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9365 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within BigTree CMS versions up to 4.2.18. This security weakness specifically targets the revisions.php endpoint, which handles page revision management and unlocking functionality. The vulnerability manifests through the force parameter that can be manipulated in the URL path, allowing unauthorized users to bypass normal access controls and unlock pages that should remain locked. The affected parameter exists in the URL structure /admin/pages/revisions/1/?force=false where the force parameter controls whether a page unlock operation should proceed. This flaw directly undermines the content management system's access control mechanisms and represents a significant risk to content integrity and security.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and lack of proper authentication checks within the page revision handling logic. When the force parameter is set to false, the system should typically prevent unauthorized page unlocking operations. However, the vulnerability allows malicious actors to manipulate this parameter to bypass these security controls, effectively enabling unauthorized users to unlock pages that are protected by access restrictions. This represents a classic CSRF vulnerability pattern where the application fails to verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate administrative users. The flaw is categorized under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 related to data from information repositories where unauthorized access to content management systems can lead to data manipulation and unauthorized modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized page access, as it can enable attackers to manipulate content management workflows and potentially compromise the entire content repository. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to unlock protected pages, modify content, or even delete revisions that should remain locked for security reasons. This creates a pathway for content tampering, data corruption, and potential information disclosure. The vulnerability affects all versions of BigTree CMS through 4.2.18, meaning organizations using these versions face significant risk of unauthorized administrative actions. The impact is particularly concerning because page unlocking functionality is typically a privileged operation that should only be available to authorized administrators, making this vulnerability a direct threat to content management integrity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper authentication verification mechanisms and input parameter validation. Organizations should upgrade to BigTree CMS versions that address this specific CSRF flaw, as version 4.2.19 and later releases contain appropriate security fixes. The recommended approach involves implementing proper anti-CSRF tokens that are validated against each request to ensure the authenticity of administrative operations. Additionally, organizations should implement strict access control policies that validate user permissions before allowing any page unlock operations, regardless of parameter values. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though the primary fix must come from addressing the underlying authentication and authorization logic. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of page unlocking activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on the force parameter manipulation within the revisions.php endpoint.