CVE-2018-16448 in CScms
Summary
by MITRE
Cscms 4 allows CSRF for creating a member via upload/admin.php/user/save, authenticating vip members via upload/admin.php/user/init/tid and upload/admin.php/user/init/rzid, and creating a super administrator and web editor via upload/admin.php/sys/save.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-16448 affects Cscms 4, a content management system that suffers from multiple cross-site request forgery flaws within its administrative interface. This vulnerability resides in the upload/admin.php endpoint where several critical functions lack proper authentication and validation mechanisms. The flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to perform administrative actions by tricking victims into executing malicious requests through social engineering or compromised web pages. The vulnerability specifically targets the user management and system configuration components of the CMS, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on this platform for content management and user administration.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-forgery tokens and proper session validation within the targeted administrative endpoints. Attackers can exploit these flaws by crafting malicious web pages that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable upload/admin.php URLs without requiring authentication. The first exploit vector allows creation of new members through the user/save endpoint, while the second vector targets vip member authentication via user/init/tid and user/init/rzid parameters. The most severe vector enables attackers to create super administrators and web editors through the sys/save endpoint, effectively granting them complete control over the CMS administrative interface. This lack of input validation and authentication checks violates fundamental security principles and creates a persistent backdoor for unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with comprehensive administrative control over the affected CMS instance. Once exploited, attackers can manipulate user accounts, modify content, access sensitive data, and potentially use the compromised system as a launchpad for further attacks within the network. The vulnerability affects all users who have access to the administrative interface, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple administrators or users interact with the system. The persistence of this vulnerability means that successful exploitation can result in long-term compromise of the CMS infrastructure, potentially affecting thousands of users depending on the scale of the installation. Organizations may face data breaches, content manipulation, and complete system takeover without any indication of compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-forgery token mechanisms throughout the administrative interface, enforcing strict session validation, and applying proper input sanitization for all administrative endpoints. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches or upgrades that address these CSRF flaws, as the vulnerability exists in the core administrative functionality of the CMS. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit administrative access to trusted networks and users. Additionally, regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the CMS ecosystem. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses, and corresponds to attack techniques documented in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and persistence tactics. Regular monitoring of web application logs for suspicious administrative activity and implementing web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts.