CVE-2018-11004 in SDcms
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in SDcms v1.5. Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in /WWW//app/admin/controller/admincontroller.php allows remote attackers to add administrator accounts via m=admin&c=admin&a=add.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11004 resides within SDcms version 1.5, specifically in the administrative controller component located at /WWW//app/admin/controller/admincontroller.php. This represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw that fundamentally compromises the application's administrative security boundaries. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker can manipulate the parameter sequence m=admin&c=admin&a=add to execute unauthorized administrative actions, effectively bypassing the intended authentication and authorization mechanisms that should protect administrative functions from unauthorized access.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the administrative controller. When legitimate administrators perform administrative tasks, the application fails to verify the authenticity of requests originating from authorized users, creating an exploitable gap in the security model. Attackers can craft malicious requests that, when executed by authenticated administrators, result in the creation of new administrator accounts without proper authorization. This flaw operates under the CWE-352 classification as a Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability, where the application does not adequately validate the source of administrative requests, making it susceptible to manipulation through crafted web requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with persistent administrative access to the affected system. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can establish backdoor accounts that maintain administrative privileges even after the initial exploitation window closes. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for data exfiltration, system compromise, and further lateral movement within the network. The vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the application's integrity, potentially leading to complete system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive data stored within the SDcms platform.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate technical flaw and broader security posture improvements. The primary remediation involves implementing robust anti-CSRF token mechanisms that validate the authenticity of administrative requests, ensuring that each administrative action requires proper authorization tokens that are tied to the user's session. Organizations should also implement proper input validation and parameter sanitization to prevent parameter manipulation attacks. Additionally, the system should enforce strict access controls and audit all administrative activities to detect unauthorized account creation attempts. Security measures should align with NIST SP 800-53 security controls and follow the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation tactics, ensuring that administrative functions require explicit authorization and that all administrative activities are logged and monitored for suspicious behavior. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in the application's architecture and ensure comprehensive protection against similar CSRF attack vectors.