CVE-2018-10503 in baijiacms
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in index.php in baijiacms V4 v4_1_4_20170105. CSRF allows adding an administrator account via op=edituser, changing the administrator password via op=changepwd, or deleting an account via op=deleteuser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10503 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the baijiacms content management system version 4.1.4.20170105. This weakness exists in the index.php file and specifically affects the administrative functionality of the platform. The issue stems from the absence of proper validation mechanisms for requests originating from unauthorized sources, allowing malicious actors to manipulate administrative operations without proper authentication. The vulnerability manifests through three distinct attack vectors that directly compromise administrative control of the system.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when the application fails to verify the origin of requests made to administrative endpoints. When an administrator visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the attacker can automatically submit requests to the vulnerable baijiacms installation without the administrator's knowledge or consent. The attack exploits the trust relationship between the web application and the browser, leveraging the fact that the browser automatically includes authentication cookies with requests to the target domain. This allows the attacker to perform three critical administrative actions through the op parameter in the index.php file.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete control over the administrative account management system. Successful exploitation enables attackers to create new administrator accounts with full privileges, change existing administrator passwords, or delete legitimate user accounts entirely. This comprehensive control over user management directly compromises the integrity and availability of the system. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security model of the CMS, as it allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and assume administrative roles without proper credentials or authorization.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. According to the ATT&CK framework, this represents a privilege escalation technique that leverages the trust relationship between user and application. The attack vector falls under the category of web application attacks, specifically targeting the application's administrative interface. Organizations using vulnerable versions of baijiacms face significant risk of complete system compromise, as the vulnerability enables persistent access to administrative functions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of anti-CSRF tokens for all administrative operations. The system must validate the referer header or implement unique request tokens that are tied to the user's session and verified before processing any administrative requests. Additionally, organizations should ensure that all administrative actions require explicit user confirmation through multi-factor authentication or secondary verification mechanisms. Regular security audits and input validation should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future releases. The most effective immediate solution involves updating to a patched version of baijiacms that implements proper CSRF protection mechanisms and ensures that all administrative endpoints require verified requests from authenticated users.