CVE-2018-10758 in Yellow
Summary
by MITRE
The edit/ URI in Datenstrom Yellow 0.7.3 has CSRF via a delete action that can delete articles.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10758 resides within the Datenstrom Yellow content management system version 0.7.3, specifically within the edit/ URI functionality that handles article management operations. This flaw represents a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to perform destructive actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent. The vulnerability manifests through a delete action that can be triggered maliciously through crafted web requests, potentially leading to complete data loss and content disruption for legitimate users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the edit URI endpoint. When a user accesses the edit functionality to manage articles, the system fails to adequately verify that the request originates from a legitimate source within the same session. The delete action operates without proper authorization checks or CSRF protection tokens, making it susceptible to exploitation through social engineering attacks or by embedding malicious links within compromised websites. This allows an attacker to construct a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated user, performs the delete operation without the user's awareness.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data loss, as it represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity and availability of content management operations. An attacker could potentially delete critical articles, disrupt content publication workflows, or systematically remove all content from a website, severely impacting business operations and user experience. The vulnerability affects any authenticated user session, meaning that even users with limited privileges could cause significant damage through unauthorized deletion of content. The nature of this flaw also implies potential for broader exploitation if the system allows for cascading effects from content deletion operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms that require proper validation tokens for all destructive operations within the edit functionality. The system should enforce strict origin validation checks and implement time-based CSRF tokens that expire after a short period, ensuring that requests cannot be replayed or reused by attackers. Additionally, access controls should be strengthened to ensure that only authorized users with appropriate privileges can perform delete operations, and all requests should be authenticated through proper session management. The implementation should follow established security standards such as those outlined in CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities, and align with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for credential access through web application attacks. Organizations should also implement regular security audits and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of their web applications.