CVE-2017-9413 in SubSonic
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the Podcast feature in Subsonic 6.1.1 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of users for requests that (1) subscribe to a podcast via the add parameter to podcastReceiverAdmin.view or (2) update Interet Radio Settings via the urlRedirectCustomUrl parameter to networkSettings.view. NOTE: These vulnerabilities can be exploited to conduct server-side request forgery (SSRF) attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2024
The CVE-2017-9413 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Subsonic 6.1.1's podcast functionality that exposes the application to multiple cross-site request forgery attacks. This vulnerability specifically targets the podcast feature within the Subsonic media server software, which is widely used for hosting and streaming audio content. The flaw allows remote attackers to manipulate authenticated user sessions and execute unauthorized actions through carefully crafted malicious requests that leverage the application's trust in legitimate user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms in two specific endpoints within the Subsonic application. The first attack vector involves the add parameter within the podcastReceiverAdmin.view endpoint, which enables attackers to force authenticated users to subscribe to podcasts without their knowledge or consent. The second vector targets the urlRedirectCustomUrl parameter in the networkSettings.view endpoint, allowing malicious actors to modify internet radio settings through forged requests. Both of these parameters lack adequate validation of request origins or authentication tokens that would normally prevent unauthorized operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized actions to include potential server-side request forgery attacks that can be leveraged for more sophisticated exploitation. When combined with the CSRF flaws, these vulnerabilities create opportunities for attackers to perform SSRF attacks that can potentially access internal network resources, bypass firewall restrictions, or target other systems within the organization's infrastructure. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Subsonic servers might be deployed alongside other critical systems.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and inadequate session management practices that violate fundamental web security principles. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique through web application vulnerabilities, where attackers can leverage existing authenticated sessions to perform unauthorized operations. Organizations using Subsonic 6.1.1 should implement immediate mitigations including the addition of anti-CSRF tokens, proper origin validation, and input sanitization measures to prevent exploitation of these vulnerabilities.
The remediation approach for CVE-2017-9413 requires comprehensive application-level fixes that address the root causes of the CSRF vulnerabilities. System administrators should upgrade to Subsonic versions that contain proper CSRF protection mechanisms, implement token-based authentication for all state-changing operations, and ensure that all parameters accepting external input undergo rigorous validation. Additional defensive measures include configuring proper HTTP headers to prevent cross-origin requests, implementing rate limiting for sensitive operations, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Organizations should also establish monitoring protocols to detect suspicious patterns in podcast subscription requests or network configuration changes that might indicate exploitation attempts.