CVE-2018-17855 in Joomla
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Joomla! before 3.8.13. If an attacker gets access to the mail account of an user who can approve admin verifications in the registration process, he can activate himself.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/23/2023
This vulnerability exists within Joomla! content management systems prior to version 3.8.13, representing a significant security flaw that could enable unauthorized account activation through compromised email credentials. The issue stems from inadequate validation mechanisms during the user registration approval process where the system relies on email verification to confirm administrative approval. When an attacker gains access to a user account with administrative privileges responsible for approving new registrations, they can exploit this weakness to activate their own accounts without proper authorization. The vulnerability specifically affects the registration workflow where email notifications are used to verify approval status, creating a potential attack vector that bypasses normal authentication controls.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the system's failure to properly validate email ownership or authorization context when processing registration approvals. This weakness allows attackers to manipulate the approval process by leveraging legitimate administrative email accounts that have been compromised. The vulnerability operates at the application logic level, specifically within the user registration and approval modules, making it particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through social engineering or credential compromise attacks. According to CWE standards, this represents a weakness in validation of email addresses and approval workflows, classified under CWE-287 for improper authentication and CWE-352 for cross-site request forgery. The attack pattern aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under TA0001 Initial Access and TA0003 Persistence, where attackers use compromised credentials to establish unauthorized access and maintain control over the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account takeover, as it allows attackers to potentially gain administrative privileges within the Joomla! system. Once activated, malicious users can access sensitive administrative functions, modify content, and potentially escalate their privileges further within the application. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on email-based approval workflows for user registration, particularly those with less robust security measures around administrative email accounts. Organizations with multiple administrators sharing email accounts or those that do not implement proper email security controls become especially vulnerable to this type of attack. The risk is compounded when administrative email accounts lack multi-factor authentication or when organizations do not monitor email account access patterns for suspicious activities. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing proper access controls and validation mechanisms for critical system functions.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust email verification processes that include additional authentication layers beyond simple email receipt. Organizations should enforce multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, implement email account security measures such as password policies and monitoring, and ensure that administrative email accounts are not shared across multiple users. The recommended solution involves updating to Joomla! version 3.8.13 or later, which includes fixes for the registration approval validation process. Security measures should also include monitoring email account access patterns, implementing rate limiting for approval requests, and ensuring that approval workflows require additional verification steps beyond email confirmation. Regular security audits of user registration and approval processes can help identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications and systems. Organizations should also consider implementing automated threat detection systems that can identify unusual approval patterns or multiple account activations from the same email address, providing early warning capabilities against exploitation attempts.