CVE-2018-10362 in phpLiteAdmin
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in phpLiteAdmin 1.9.5 through 1.9.7.1. Due to loose comparison with '==' instead of '===' in classes/Authorization.php for the user-provided login password, it is possible to login with a simpler password if the password has the form of a power in scientific notation (like '2e2' for '200' or '0e1234' for '0'). This is possible because, in the loose comparison case, PHP interprets the string as a number in scientific notation, and thus converts it to a number. After that, the comparison with '==' casts the user input (e.g., the string '200' or '0') to a number, too. Hence the attacker can login with just a '0' or a simple number he has to brute force. Strong comparison with '===' prevents the cast into numbers.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10362 resides within phpLiteAdmin version 1.9.5 through 1.9.7.1, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that exploits PHP's type juggling behavior. This issue stems from a fundamental security oversight in the authorization mechanism where the application employs loose comparison operators instead of strict comparison methods during password validation. The affected file classes/Authorization.php contains the problematic code that allows attackers to circumvent the authentication process through carefully crafted password inputs that exploit PHP's automatic type conversion capabilities.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability relies on PHP's loose comparison behavior where the '==' operator performs type coercion before comparison. When a user submits a password string formatted in scientific notation such as '2e2' or '0e1234', PHP interprets these as numeric values during the comparison process. The string '2e2' is automatically converted to the numeric value 200, while '0e1234' becomes 0 due to PHP's scientific notation parsing. This automatic conversion occurs because the loose comparison operator first evaluates both operands for compatibility, converting strings that represent valid numbers into their numeric equivalents before performing the comparison operation.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-501: Weak Password Requirements and CWE-707: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, as it demonstrates how improper input validation and weak comparison mechanisms can lead to authentication bypass. The flaw creates an attack surface where an adversary can successfully authenticate using a minimal password such as '0' or simple numeric values rather than the actual password, effectively granting unauthorized access to the database administration interface. The security implications extend beyond simple access control since this vulnerability allows attackers to gain full administrative privileges over the database system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with an automated method for bypassing authentication without requiring knowledge of valid credentials. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform unauthorized database operations including data modification, deletion, or extraction, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal effort to exploit - an attacker only needs to brute force simple numeric values rather than complex passwords. This weakness directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1110.003: Brute Force: Password Guessing, where attackers can use simplified credential guessing methods due to implementation flaws in authentication systems.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves implementing strict comparison operators throughout the authentication process, specifically replacing all instances of '==' with '===' in the Authorization.php file and similar components. This ensures that type coercion does not occur during comparison operations, maintaining the integrity of password validation. Additionally, developers should enforce strong password policies, implement account lockout mechanisms after failed authentication attempts, and consider implementing multi-factor authentication to provide defense-in-depth. Organizations should also conduct regular security audits of third-party applications to identify similar vulnerabilities in comparison operators and input validation mechanisms that could lead to similar authentication bypass scenarios. The fix requires minimal code changes but provides substantial security improvements by eliminating the type coercion vulnerability that enabled the authentication bypass.