CVE-2018-11018 in PbootCMS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in PbootCMS v1.0.7. Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in apps/admin/controller/system/RoleController.php allows remote attackers to add administrator accounts via admin.php/role/add.html.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2020
This vulnerability exists within PbootCMS version 1.0.7, specifically in the administrative interface component located at apps/admin/controller/system/RoleController.php. The flaw represents a classic cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables remote attackers to manipulate the application's administrative functions without proper authorization. The vulnerability manifests through the admin.php/role/add.html endpoint which handles administrator account creation, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted requests that execute with elevated privileges.
The technical implementation of this CSRF flaw stems from the absence of proper validation mechanisms within the role management controller. When administrators access the role addition page, the application fails to implement anti-CSRF tokens or other protective measures that would verify the legitimacy of requests originating from authorized users. This absence creates a pathway for attackers to leverage social engineering techniques or compromised user sessions to perform unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability specifically targets the administrative account creation functionality, which is a critical privilege escalation vector in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with the capability to establish persistent administrative access to the content management system. Once an attacker successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability, they can create new administrator accounts with full system privileges, effectively compromising the entire application. This access allows for complete control over website content, user management, database modifications, and potentially the ability to exfiltrate sensitive data or deploy malicious code. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed through simple web requests, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators may inadvertently visit malicious websites or where user sessions are not properly secured.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including the addition of anti-CSRF tokens to all administrative endpoints, proper session management controls, and input validation mechanisms. The implementation should follow established security standards such as those defined in CWE-352 for cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities. Security controls should also include the enforcement of same-origin policies, proper authentication verification for administrative functions, and regular security assessments of web application components. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the use of administrative functions to gain elevated system access. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative activity patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.