CVE-2018-15901 in e107
Summary
by MITRE
e107 2.1.8 has CSRF in 'usersettings.php' with an impact of changing details such as passwords of users including administrators.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15901 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the e107 content management system version 2.1.8. This vulnerability specifically affects the usersettings.php component, which serves as the primary interface for user account management and profile modifications. The flaw stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms in the form processing logic, allowing malicious actors to craft deceptive web pages that can trigger unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the user settings level where sensitive account modifications are permitted, including password changes, profile updates, and potentially administrative privileges.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when a user visits a malicious website that contains embedded requests to the vulnerable e107 system. The attack exploits the fact that the usersettings.php script does not validate the origin of requests or require tokens that would confirm legitimate user intent. When an authenticated user navigates to the malicious page, their browser automatically submits requests to the target e107 installation without their knowledge or consent, effectively performing actions as if the user had initiated them directly. This behavior violates fundamental web security principles and demonstrates a critical failure in the application's request validation framework. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege by allowing unauthorized modifications to user accounts.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-15901 extends far beyond simple profile modifications, as it provides attackers with the ability to compromise user accounts including those with administrative privileges. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to change passwords of any user account, potentially gaining persistent access to the system and elevating privileges to administrative levels. The consequences include unauthorized data access, modification of sensitive content, potential data breaches, and complete compromise of the CMS environment. This vulnerability can be exploited in conjunction with other attack vectors to establish persistent backdoors or to escalate privileges within the system. The attack requires minimal sophistication and can be executed through simple HTML forms or JavaScript payloads, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users may inadvertently visit malicious websites. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1078 for valid accounts and T1546 for privilege escalation, representing a significant threat to system integrity and user authentication mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-15901 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. The primary solution involves implementing robust anti-CSRF token mechanisms throughout the e107 application, particularly in the usersettings.php script and similar user management components. Organizations should ensure that all state-changing operations require unique, time-limited tokens that are validated against the user's session context. The recommended approach includes generating cryptographically secure tokens for each user session and validating them on every request that modifies user data. Additionally, implementing proper referer header checking and origin validation can provide additional layers of protection. Security updates to e107 version 2.1.9 or later should be prioritized, as this vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide temporary defense while patches are deployed, though they should not be considered a permanent solution. Regular security audits of web applications should include CSRF vulnerability assessments to prevent similar issues from emerging in other components of the system.