CVE-2018-11327 in Joomla
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Joomla! Core before 3.8.8. Inadequate checks allowed users to see the names of tags that were either unpublished or published with restricted view permission.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11327 represents a significant information disclosure flaw within Joomla handles permissions and visibility controls for tags, creating an unintended pathway for unauthorized information exposure. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to discover tag names that should remain hidden due to their unpublished status or restricted access permissions, thereby undermining the intended privacy controls of the platform.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inadequate implementation of access control checks within Joomla!'s tag management system. When users interact with the platform's tagging functionality, the system should verify whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to view specific tags. However, the flawed implementation fails to properly enforce these permission checks, allowing users to bypass normal access restrictions. This weakness operates at the application logic level, where the system's authorization mechanisms are insufficiently robust to prevent unauthorized data disclosure. The vulnerability manifests when users attempt to access tag information through various interface elements or API endpoints, where the system should normally filter results based on user permissions but fails to do so consistently.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risks for Joomla! administrators and content managers who rely on the platform's permission system to control information flow. The exposure of unpublished or restricted tag names can reveal sensitive information about content planning, editorial processes, or strategic initiatives that organizations wish to keep confidential. Attackers could potentially use this information to gain insights into unpublished content, upcoming releases, or internal organizational structures. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks by providing threat actors with knowledge about content organization patterns and potentially valuable metadata that could be leveraged in social engineering campaigns or targeted attacks against specific content areas.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses "Information Exposure," and demonstrates characteristics consistent with improper access control implementations. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw fits within the ATT&CK framework's technique T1082, "System Information Discovery," as it enables attackers to gather information about system components and their configurations. The attack surface is particularly concerning because it operates silently without requiring authentication or special privileges beyond basic user access, making it difficult to detect through normal monitoring procedures. Organizations using affected Joomla! versions face potential reputational damage, competitive disadvantages, and increased risk of subsequent attacks that could exploit the leaked information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-11327 focus primarily on immediate system updates to Joomla platform's content management capabilities.