CVE-2018-17102 in QuickAppsCMS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in QuickAppsCMS (aka QACMS) through 2.0.0-beta2. A CSRF vulnerability can change the administrator password via the user/me URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17102 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within QuickAppsCMS version 2.0.0-beta2 and earlier releases. This issue resides in the application's user management functionality, specifically through the user/me URI endpoint which handles user profile modifications. The flaw allows malicious actors to exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms to manipulate administrator account credentials without authorization. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to validate the origin of requests made to the password change endpoint, creating an exploitable condition where attackers can craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the CMS.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic CSRF attack vector where an attacker constructs a malicious web page or email link that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submits a request to change the administrator password. The flaw exists because QuickAppsCMS does not implement proper anti-CSRF tokens or referer validation checks when processing requests to the user/me URI. This endpoint should require verification that the request originates from the legitimate application interface rather than from external domains or crafted payloads. The absence of such protections means that any authenticated user session can be exploited to perform unauthorized actions, particularly targeting privileged accounts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it provides attackers with direct administrative control over the CMS instance. Once an administrator's password is changed, the attacker gains full access to the content management system including the ability to modify or delete content, upload malicious files, alter user permissions, and potentially compromise the entire web application infrastructure. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited silently in the background when administrators visit compromised websites or click malicious links, making detection difficult. The attack can be executed through various vectors including phishing campaigns, compromised websites, or social engineering tactics that leverage the administrator's trust in legitimate web interactions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-17102 should focus on implementing robust CSRF protection mechanisms across all administrative endpoints within QuickAppsCMS. Organizations should immediately upgrade to version 2.0.0-beta3 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper token validation and request origin verification. Security measures should include implementing anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations, validating HTTP referer headers, and ensuring that all administrative functions require explicit user confirmation before executing sensitive operations. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a privilege escalation technique under the T1068 privilege escalation tactic, where adversaries leverage existing authenticated sessions to gain higher privileges within the application. The vulnerability also relates to T1566 initial access methods through phishing or malicious web content delivery that can lead to administrative compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious patterns of requests to administrative endpoints, and conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other CMS components or custom applications that may be susceptible to the same class of attacks.