CVE-2018-16431 in YFCMF
Summary
by MITRE
admin/admin/adminsave.html in YFCMF v3.0 allows CSRF to add an administrator account.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-16431 represents a cross-site request forgery flaw within the YFCMF v3.0 content management framework. This issue specifically affects the administrative interface where the adminsave.html endpoint fails to implement proper anti-CSRF protection mechanisms. The vulnerability exists in the administrative account creation functionality that accepts requests to add new administrator accounts through the web interface. When an authenticated administrator visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the CSRF attack can automatically submit requests to the vulnerable YFCMF application to create new administrator accounts without the user's knowledge or explicit consent. This represents a critical security weakness that undermines the application's access control mechanisms and potentially allows unauthorized individuals to gain administrative privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar protection mechanisms within the adminsave.html endpoint. In a properly secured application, administrative actions such as account creation should require verification of the user's intent through unique tokens that are generated server-side and validated with each request. Without this protection, any authenticated user session can be exploited by attackers who craft malicious HTML forms or JavaScript code that automatically submits requests to the vulnerable endpoint. The flaw allows attackers to construct a malicious payload that, when executed in the context of an authenticated administrator's browser, will silently create new administrative accounts with predetermined credentials. This bypasses the normal authentication and authorization checks that should prevent unauthorized account creation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially compromise entire application environments. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw can gain full administrative control over the YFCMF application, enabling them to modify or delete content, access sensitive data, alter user permissions, and potentially use the compromised administrative account as a foothold for further attacks. The vulnerability affects the application's integrity and confidentiality as unauthorized users can create persistent administrative access points that may remain undetected for extended periods. This type of flaw is particularly dangerous in web applications where administrators have broad access to system resources and user data, as it provides attackers with a direct path to elevated privileges without requiring knowledge of existing administrator credentials or other authentication factors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the YFCMF application. The most effective approach involves incorporating unique, unpredictable tokens for each administrative request that are generated server-side and validated upon submission. These tokens should be tied to the user session and regenerated after each successful operation to prevent replay attacks. Additionally, implementing proper request validation through origin checking and implementing the SameSite cookie attributes can provide additional layers of protection. Organizations should also consider implementing rate limiting and monitoring for administrative account creation attempts to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence through administrative access, with the potential to enable further lateral movement within compromised environments. Regular security assessments and input validation reviews should be conducted to prevent similar flaws from emerging in other administrative functions within the application.