CVE-2018-1000092 in CMS Made Simple
Summary
by MITRE
CMS Made Simple version versions 2.2.5 contains a Cross ite Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Admin profile page that can result in Details can be found here http://dev.cmsmadesimple.org/bug/view/11715. This attack appear to be exploitable via A specially crafted web page. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in 2.2.6.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/13/2020
The CVE-2018-1000092 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in CMS Made Simple version 2.2.5, specifically within the administrator profile page functionality. This vulnerability exposes the content management system to unauthorized administrative actions that can be triggered through malicious web pages, potentially compromising the entire system. The issue stems from the lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms in the administrative interface, allowing attackers to perform privileged operations without legitimate user consent. The vulnerability was documented in the CMS Made Simple development tracker under bug ID 11715, indicating a well-documented security flaw that required immediate attention. This particular weakness demonstrates a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture where administrative functions lack adequate token-based validation or referer checking mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when administrators visit malicious web pages that contain embedded requests to the CMS Made Simple administration interface. These requests can modify user profiles, change administrative settings, or perform other privileged actions without the administrator's knowledge or explicit consent. The flaw specifically affects the admin profile page functionality, making it particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to manipulate administrative user accounts and potentially escalate their privileges within the system. The vulnerability is exploitable through a specially crafted web page that automatically submits requests to the vulnerable CMS interface, leveraging the browser's automatic credential handling for the authenticated administrator session. This type of attack relies on the principle that browsers automatically include cookies and authentication tokens with requests to the same domain, creating the perfect environment for CSRF exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it can lead to complete system compromise when attackers leverage the administrative privileges. An attacker could modify administrator credentials, create new administrative accounts, alter website content, or even delete critical system files through the compromised administrative interface. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill, making it particularly dangerous as it can be deployed through simple web page delivery methods. This weakness essentially provides a backdoor for attackers to gain unauthorized administrative access, potentially allowing them to completely control the content management system and the websites built upon it. The damage potential increases significantly when considering that many CMS instances are used to host critical business or organizational websites where administrative access can result in data breaches, service disruption, or reputation damage.
The vulnerability was addressed in version 2.2.6 of CMS Made Simple through the implementation of proper CSRF protection mechanisms. This fix typically involves the inclusion of unique, unpredictable tokens in administrative forms that must be validated on the server side before any privileged operations are executed. The patch demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing robust security controls in web applications. Organizations should implement immediate remediation measures including updating to the patched version 2.2.6 or later, and conducting security assessments of their existing installations to identify potential exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for credential access through valid accounts. Security teams should also implement additional protective measures such as monitoring for suspicious administrative activities, implementing web application firewalls, and ensuring that all administrative functions require proper authentication and authorization checks to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in other parts of the application.