CVE-2018-16552 in Django-CRM
Summary
by MITRE
MicroPyramid Django-CRM 0.2 allows CSRF for /users/create/, /users/##/edit/, and /accounts/##/delete/ URIs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2023
This vulnerability exists within MicroPyramid Django-CRM version 0.2, a customer relationship management system built on the Django web framework. The flaw represents a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that affects multiple user management and account operations within the application. The affected URIs include /users/create/, /users/##/edit/, and /accounts/##/delete/ endpoints, which are all susceptible to unauthorized manipulation through forged requests. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category, specifically Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is classified as a serious web application security weakness that can lead to unauthorized actions being performed on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence or improper implementation of anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the Django application's user management endpoints. In a properly secured Django application, each form submission and state-changing request should include a unique CSRF token that validates the authenticity of the request origin. The vulnerability manifests when these protective measures are missing or bypassed, allowing remote attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed by authenticated users. This particular flaw affects the core user management functionality of the CRM system, enabling attackers to create new user accounts, modify existing user information, or delete user accounts without proper authorization. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the application layer where user privileges and system access controls are managed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it can result in unauthorized user account manipulation and potential system compromise. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges by creating new administrative accounts, modify existing user credentials to gain persistent access, or delete critical user accounts to disrupt business operations. The implications extend beyond simple account manipulation, as this vulnerability could facilitate further attacks such as privilege escalation, data manipulation, or even complete system takeover depending on the application's permission model and the attacker's access level. The vulnerability also impacts the integrity and availability of the CRM system, potentially leading to data loss, unauthorized access to sensitive customer information, and disruption of business processes that depend on the CRM functionality. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1548.001 Abuse of Functionality, as it allows adversaries to leverage legitimate user accounts to perform unauthorized actions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the Django application. The most effective approach involves ensuring that all state-changing requests include and validate CSRF tokens, which is a fundamental security practice in Django applications. Developers should utilize Django's built-in CSRF protection middleware and ensure that all forms and AJAX requests properly include CSRF tokens in their requests. The application should be updated to a newer version of Django that properly implements CSRF protection, or if using an older version, manual implementation of CSRF token validation should be enforced. Additionally, implementing proper input validation, output encoding, and access controls around the affected endpoints would further strengthen the application's security posture. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of user account creation, modification, or deletion that could indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application endpoints, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar CSRF attack vectors.