CVE-2018-16606 in ProConf
Summary
by MITRE
In ProConf before 6.1, an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) allows any author to view and grab all submitted papers (Title and Abstract) and their authors' personal information (Name, Email, Organization, and Position) by changing the value of Paper ID (the pid parameter).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2018-16606 represents a critical Insecure Direct Object Reference flaw within the ProConf conference management system prior to version 6.1. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-284, which specifically addresses improper access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to access objects they should not be permitted to access. The issue manifests when an authenticated user with author privileges manipulates the paper identification parameter to gain access to confidential information belonging to other users. The system fails to properly validate user permissions before processing requests, creating a direct path for information disclosure that bypasses normal access controls.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the pid parameter within the application's URL structure. When an author attempts to access paper information, the system relies on the submitted paper ID value without verifying whether the requesting user has legitimate authorization to access that specific resource. This lack of proper input validation and access control enforcement allows any authenticated user to iterate through paper IDs and retrieve complete submissions including titles, abstracts, and comprehensive author personal information such as names, email addresses, organizational affiliations, and professional positions. The vulnerability essentially removes all access restrictions that should normally be enforced between different users' data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially compromise user privacy and organizational security. Attackers can systematically harvest personal information about researchers and professionals, which could be used for social engineering attacks, credential stuffing, or targeted phishing campaigns. The exposure of academic submissions also creates potential intellectual property risks, as competitors or malicious actors could access and analyze research content before public release. This vulnerability particularly affects academic conferences and research institutions where the confidentiality of submissions and author information is paramount for maintaining trust in the peer review process and protecting individual privacy rights.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address the core issue of insufficient access control validation. Organizations should implement proper input sanitization and validation to ensure that all object references are checked against the requesting user's authorization level before processing. The system should enforce strict access controls that verify whether the authenticated user has legitimate rights to access the requested resource, regardless of the parameter values submitted. Additionally, implementing proper role-based access control mechanisms and regular security testing can prevent similar issues from occurring in the future. The remediation should include updating to ProConf version 6.1 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper access control implementation. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 which involves data from information repositories, and demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation as outlined in NIST SP 800-53 controls related to access control and information classification.