CVE-2018-14910 in SeaCMS
Summary
by MITRE
SeaCMS v6.61 allows Remote Code execution by placing PHP code in an allowed IP address (aka ip) to /admin/admin_ip.php (aka /adm1n/admin_ip.php). The code is executed by visiting adm1n/admin_ip.php or data/admin/ip.php. This can also be exploited through CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2020
CVE-2018-14910 represents a critical remote code execution vulnerability in SeaCMS version 6.61 that demonstrates a dangerous flaw in input validation and access control mechanisms. This vulnerability stems from the application's improper handling of IP address configurations within its administrative interface, specifically in the admin_ip.php file. The flaw allows attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code into the system by leveraging the legitimate administrative configuration functionality, effectively bypassing normal security boundaries.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a sophisticated attack vector that combines multiple security weaknesses. Attackers can place malicious PHP code within the allowed IP address field, which is then stored in the /admin/admin_ip.php or /adm1n/admin_ip.php files. When these files are subsequently accessed through web requests, the injected code executes within the context of the web server, providing attackers with full command execution capabilities on the affected system. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-94, which describes "Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')" and specifically addresses the improper handling of user-supplied input that gets executed as code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it provides attackers with complete system compromise capabilities. Once exploited, attackers can execute arbitrary commands, access sensitive data, modify system configurations, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability's cross-site request forgery (CSRF) exploitation capability further amplifies the risk by allowing attackers to leverage authenticated sessions without requiring direct user interaction. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where administrators might be tricked into visiting malicious sites while authenticated to the vulnerable system.
The security implications extend beyond simple code execution to encompass complete system compromise and data breach potential. This vulnerability demonstrates a critical failure in the principle of least privilege and proper input sanitization. The attack requires minimal privileges to execute successfully, as it exploits legitimate administrative functionality rather than requiring elevated system access. Organizations running SeaCMS v6.61 are particularly vulnerable to this attack, as the exploitation process is straightforward and does not require sophisticated techniques. The vulnerability's persistence through CSRF exploitation means that even administrators who might not directly visit malicious sites could be compromised through social engineering attacks that trick them into executing malicious requests.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the SeaCMS application to the latest version that addresses this specific flaw. Organizations should also implement network-level restrictions to limit access to administrative interfaces, employ web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious code injection attempts, and conduct comprehensive security audits of all administrative configurations. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and the principle of least privilege in web application security, as it demonstrates how legitimate administrative features can be abused when proper sanitization and access controls are not implemented. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized modifications to administrative configuration files and establish incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts.