CVE-2018-18762 in SaltOS
Summary
by MITRE
SaltOS 3.1 r8126 allows CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/03/2025
SaltOS 3.1 r8126 contains a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables authenticated attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. This vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-352 - Cross-Site Request Forgery, which represents a critical security flaw where attackers can trick users into executing unintended commands on web applications they are authenticated to. The vulnerability exists due to the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms in the application's request processing flow, allowing malicious actors to craft forged requests that appear legitimate to the server.
The technical flaw manifests when authenticated users interact with the SaltOS web interface, as the application fails to validate the origin or authenticity of requests submitted through web forms or API endpoints. Attackers can exploit this weakness by creating malicious web pages or embedding malicious scripts that automatically submit requests to the SaltOS application, potentially performing actions such as modifying user accounts, changing system configurations, or executing administrative commands without proper authorization. This vulnerability particularly affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms within the SaltOS framework, as it bypasses the normal security controls that should prevent unauthorized modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on SaltOS 3.1 r8126 for system management and orchestration tasks. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw could gain elevated privileges within the system, potentially leading to complete compromise of the managed infrastructure. The attack vector typically involves social engineering techniques where users are tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links while authenticated to the SaltOS application. This could result in unauthorized configuration changes, data manipulation, or service disruption that affects the availability and integrity of critical system components. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where SaltOS is used for managing large-scale deployments and automated orchestration tasks.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including the deployment of anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations within the SaltOS application, proper validation of request origins, and implementation of the SameSite cookie attributes. The recommended approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers often leverage CSRF vulnerabilities to bypass authentication controls. Additionally, organizations should ensure that all user sessions are properly validated and that the application enforces strict input validation for all requests. The implementation of web application firewalls and regular security assessments can further reduce the risk of exploitation. Patch management procedures should be established to ensure timely updates to SaltOS versions that address this vulnerability, as the vendor has likely released security patches to resolve this specific weakness in the authentication and authorization framework.