CVE-2018-11554 in YzmCMS
Summary
by MITRE
The forgotten-password feature in index.php/member/reset/reset_email.html in YzmCMS v3.2 through v3.7 has a Response Discrepancy Information Exposure issue and an unexpectedly long lifetime for a verification code, which makes it easier for remote attackers to hijack accounts via a brute-force approach.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/15/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11554 affects YzmCMS versions 3.2 through 3.7 and specifically targets the forgotten password functionality within the member reset process. This issue resides in the index.php/member/reset/reset_email.html component and represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of user account recovery mechanisms. The vulnerability manifests through two primary weaknesses that together create an exploitable attack vector for unauthorized account access.
The technical flaw involves response discrepancy information exposure which occurs when the application provides different responses to authentication attempts based on whether the account exists or not. This differential response behavior creates a timing or content-based information leak that allows attackers to determine valid user accounts through careful analysis of system responses. The vulnerability falls under CWE-200, which describes information exposure through improper error handling or response differentiation. Additionally, the verification code associated with the password reset functionality maintains an unexpectedly long lifetime, typically exceeding acceptable security thresholds for temporary authentication tokens.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables remote attackers to perform brute-force attacks against the password reset mechanism with considerably reduced effort. Attackers can systematically test various password combinations against the reset functionality, using the information exposure to identify valid accounts and then exploit the extended verification code lifetime to repeatedly attempt access without immediate account lockout or token expiration. This approach directly violates security best practices for temporary credential mechanisms and represents a classic account hijacking attack pattern.
The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1110.003, which covers credential stuffing attacks, and T1566.001, which addresses phishing techniques. The extended verification code lifetime creates a window of opportunity that allows attackers to leverage automated tools for systematic account compromise. Organizations using affected YzmCMS versions face potential unauthorized access to user accounts, data breaches, and possible escalation to broader system compromise through credential reuse attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates poor security implementation in temporary token management and inadequate account validation mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies should include implementing consistent response handling for all authentication attempts regardless of account validity, reducing the verification code lifetime to reasonable security thresholds, and implementing account lockout mechanisms after multiple failed reset attempts. Security patches should enforce uniform error responses, implement proper rate limiting, and ensure that verification codes expire within appropriate timeframes typically ranging from 15-30 minutes. Additionally, organizations should monitor for suspicious reset activity and implement multi-factor authentication for enhanced protection. The fix should address both the information exposure through response differentiation and the extended verification code lifetime to prevent automated exploitation attempts.