CVE-2018-17069 in UNL-CMS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in UNL-CMS 7.59. A CSRF attack can create new content via ?q=node%2Fadd%2Farticle&render=overlay&render=overlay.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17069 resides within UNL-CMS version 7.59, representing a critical cross-site request forgery flaw that enables unauthorized content creation through manipulated web requests. This vulnerability specifically targets the node creation endpoint within the content management system, allowing attackers to exploit the lack of proper anti-CSRF protections when adding new articles to the platform.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a carefully crafted URL parameter sequence that leverages the CMS's overlay rendering functionality. The attack vector specifically utilizes the path ?q=node%2Fadd%2Farticle&render=overlay&render=overlay which bypasses normal authentication checks and validation mechanisms. This flaw demonstrates a failure in the application's request validation process, where the system does not properly verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate users versus malicious actors.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability allows an attacker to inject arbitrary content into the CMS without proper authorization, potentially leading to defacement of web pages, injection of malicious scripts, or dissemination of inappropriate material. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the content management system, as unauthorized modifications can compromise the entire website's credibility and security posture. The overlay rendering mechanism, typically designed for user-friendly content editing experiences, becomes a vector for malicious activity due to insufficient input sanitization and authentication verification.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. This classification indicates that the flaw represents a fundamental failure in the application's security controls, where proper validation of user intent and authentication context is missing from the request processing pipeline. The attack scenario demonstrates how web applications can inadvertently expose functionality to unauthorized users when proper security controls are not implemented at the request handling level.
Organizations utilizing UNL-CMS 7.59 should immediately implement mitigation strategies including the enforcement of anti-CSRF tokens for all content creation endpoints, proper session management controls, and input validation mechanisms that verify request origins and user authentication status. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper request origin verification can provide additional protection layers. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious request patterns and conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other CMS components or custom modules that may expose similar attack surfaces.