CVE-2018-18436 in JTBC(PHP)
Summary
by MITRE
JTBC(PHP) 3.0 allows CSRF for creating an account via the console/account/manage.php?type=action&action=add URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/05/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-18436 affects JTBC(PHP) version 3.0 and represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw that enables unauthorized account creation through the administrative console. This vulnerability exists within the console/account/manage.php endpoint where the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms when processing account creation requests. The flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to create new user accounts without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in the account management interface. When an administrator navigates to the account creation functionality within the JTBC console, the application does not validate the authenticity of the request origin or require a unique token that would verify the request was intentionally made by the legitimate user. This design flaw directly violates security best practices outlined in CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities. The vulnerability operates at the application layer where user authentication and authorization controls are insufficiently enforced, allowing attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the browser and the web application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with a persistent means of gaining unauthorized access to the administrative console. Once an attacker successfully creates an account with administrative privileges, they can manipulate the entire application environment, modify content, access sensitive data, and potentially establish backdoors for continued access. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited through various attack vectors including phishing campaigns, social engineering, or compromised websites. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which covers valid accounts obtained through phishing, as the attacker can use the created account to maintain access to the system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the application's account management functions. The solution requires generating unique, cryptographically secure tokens for each user session and validating these tokens on every state-changing request. Organizations should also implement proper input validation and output encoding to prevent additional attack vectors. The fix should be applied to the console/account/manage.php endpoint specifically, ensuring that all account creation requests require verification through a valid anti-CSRF token. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious account creation patterns can provide additional layers of defense. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive code reviews to identify similar anti-CSRF implementation gaps throughout the application, as this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture that could affect other administrative functions.