CVE-2018-18797 in School Attendance Monitoring System
Summary
by MITRE
School Attendance Monitoring System 1.0 has CSRF via /user/user/edit.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/03/2025
The School Attendance Monitoring System version 1.0 contains a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent. This vulnerability exists in the user management functionality at the /user/user/edit.php endpoint, where the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers to craft malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by an authenticated user, automatically submit requests to modify user account details without requiring the victim's explicit authorization. This represents a critical security weakness that undermines the integrity of user authentication and authorization within the system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited to change user passwords, modify permissions, or manipulate account information, potentially leading to complete account compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive educational data.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in the user editing form. When a legitimate user accesses the /user/user/edit.php page, the form fields are submitted without any cryptographic token or unique identifier that would verify the request originated from the legitimate application interface. Attackers can exploit this by creating a malicious HTML page containing a hidden form that submits requests to the edit.php endpoint with predetermined parameters. The application processes these requests without validating the authenticity of the request source, allowing unauthorized modifications to user accounts. This flaw aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in web applications. The vulnerability exists in the application's input validation and request processing logic, where proper session management and request origin verification mechanisms are missing or improperly implemented.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account manipulation to potentially compromise the entire school attendance monitoring ecosystem. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability could gain persistent access to user accounts, modify attendance records, alter user permissions, or even escalate privileges to administrative levels. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed through social engineering techniques, making it particularly dangerous in educational environments where users may not be security-aware. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system by enabling unauthorized modifications to user data and potentially disrupting normal attendance tracking operations. Organizations using this system face risks of data manipulation, privacy violations, and potential regulatory compliance issues under various data protection frameworks. The vulnerability can be exploited to create backdoor access points, making it a significant concern for network security and data governance.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability involve implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms throughout the application. The most effective solution is to incorporate unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that must be validated on every state-changing request to the edit.php endpoint. These tokens should be generated server-side, stored in the user's session, and included as hidden form fields or HTTP headers in all requests. Additionally, the application should implement proper HTTP headers such as Content Security Policy and SameSite cookie attributes to provide additional layers of protection. The system should also validate the referrer header and implement strict session management practices to ensure that requests originate from legitimate sources within the application. Organizations should conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other endpoints, as this type of flaw often indicates broader security implementation gaps. The remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which addresses valid accounts and credential access, and CWE-352 which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities. Regular security updates and proper input validation practices should be implemented to prevent similar issues in future system versions.