CVE-2018-19332 in S-Cms
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in S-CMS v1.5. There is a CSRF vulnerability that can add a new user via the admin/ajax.php?type=member&action=add URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-19332 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within S-CMS version 1.5, specifically affecting the administrative functionality of the content management system. This weakness resides in the admin/ajax.php endpoint where the type parameter is set to member and the action parameter is configured to add, creating an exploitable pathway for unauthorized user creation within the system's administrative interface. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper authentication tokens or validation mechanisms that would typically be required to prevent unauthorized modifications to system configurations.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability allows an attacker to craft malicious web pages or email attachments that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable endpoint without the user's knowledge or consent. This occurs because the application fails to validate the origin of requests or verify that they originate from legitimate administrative sessions. The attack vector specifically targets the member addition functionality, enabling an adversary to create new administrative accounts or regular user accounts with potentially elevated privileges, thereby compromising the entire system's integrity and access controls.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly undermines the security posture of systems running S-CMS v1.5 by allowing attackers to establish persistent access through unauthorized user creation. The successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or the establishment of backdoor access points within the organization's digital infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the principle of least privilege as it enables attackers to bypass normal access controls and potentially escalate their privileges within the application's administrative framework, creating a persistent threat that could remain undetected for extended periods.
The flaw aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in software applications, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with attack patterns found in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation and persistence tactics. Organizations utilizing this CMS version face significant risk as the vulnerability can be exploited through social engineering techniques, requiring minimal technical expertise from attackers. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability operates at the administrative level, potentially allowing threat actors to gain unauthorized access to sensitive system resources.
Mitigation strategies should include implementing proper CSRF token validation mechanisms within the affected endpoint, ensuring that all administrative actions require explicit authentication tokens that are tied to the user's current session. Additionally, organizations should implement strict input validation and origin checking for all administrative endpoints, along with regular security audits of web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities. The recommended solution involves updating to a patched version of S-CMS or implementing temporary workarounds such as disabling the vulnerable AJAX endpoint until a permanent fix is applied. Network segmentation and monitoring of administrative access patterns can also serve as compensating controls to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts.