CVE-2018-17870 in XBTIT
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in BTITeam XBTIT 2.5.4. The "returnto" parameter of account_change.php is vulnerable to an open redirect, a different vulnerability than CVE-2018-15683.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17870 affects BTITeam XBTIT version 2.5.4 and represents a critical open redirect flaw in the account_change.php script. This issue specifically involves the "returnto" parameter which fails to properly validate or sanitize user input before using it to redirect users to specified destinations. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and demonstrates a classic improper input validation weakness that can be exploited by malicious actors to manipulate user navigation. Unlike CVE-2018-15683 which addresses a different vulnerability within the same software, this open redirect flaw creates a distinct attack surface that can be leveraged for various malicious activities including phishing campaigns and credential theft operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper validation controls on the returnto parameter. When a user submits a request containing a malicious returnto value, the application processes this input without adequate sanitization or destination verification. This allows attackers to craft URLs with crafted returnto parameters that point to malicious domains or pages. The flaw resides in the application's trust model where user-provided input is directly used to determine redirect destinations without proper authorization checks. This behavior aligns with CWE-601 Open Redirect vulnerability classification which specifically addresses situations where applications redirect users to untrusted destinations based on user-supplied input. The vulnerability can be categorized under the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 Phishing, as it enables attackers to create convincing phishing pages that appear legitimate to victims.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection and can facilitate sophisticated social engineering attacks. An attacker could exploit this flaw to redirect users to phishing pages that closely mimic legitimate login interfaces, potentially capturing credentials or other sensitive information. The open redirect vulnerability also enables the creation of malicious URLs that appear to originate from trusted sources, making them more likely to be clicked by unsuspecting users. When combined with other attack vectors, this vulnerability can serve as a launching point for more extensive compromise operations. The impact is particularly severe in environments where users frequently interact with web applications that handle sensitive data, as the vulnerability can be exploited to bypass security controls and gain unauthorized access to user accounts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-17870 should focus on implementing robust input validation and destination verification mechanisms. The primary remediation involves sanitizing the returnto parameter by either validating it against a predetermined list of trusted domains or implementing strict URL validation that ensures redirects only occur to authorized locations. Organizations should implement a whitelist approach where only known good destinations are permitted for redirection, rather than allowing arbitrary URLs to be specified. Additionally, the application should employ proper URL parsing and validation techniques to prevent attackers from crafting malicious redirect targets. Security patches should be applied immediately to address this vulnerability, and network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious redirect patterns. The remediation process should include comprehensive code review to identify similar input validation weaknesses throughout the application and implementation of automated testing procedures to prevent future occurrences. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and the principle of least privilege in web application security, where user input should never be trusted without proper sanitization and verification processes.