CVE-2018-19437 in UCMS
Summary
by MITRE
UCMS 1.4.7 allows remote authenticated users to change the administrator password because $_COOKIE['admin_'.cookiehash] is used for arbitrary cookie values that are set and not empty.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-19437 resides within UCMS version 1.4.7, a content management system that falls under the category of web application security flaws. This particular weakness represents a critical authentication bypass vulnerability that enables remote attackers who have already established authenticated sessions to manipulate administrative privileges through improper cookie handling mechanisms. The flaw specifically exploits how the application processes administrative cookies, creating a pathway for privilege escalation that directly impacts the system's integrity and security posture.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from the application's improper validation of cookie values within the administrative context. The system utilizes the $COOKIE['admin'.cookiehash] construct to manage administrative session data, but fails to properly sanitize or validate the cookie values before processing them. This allows authenticated users to inject arbitrary cookie values that can be interpreted by the application as legitimate administrative credentials. The vulnerability specifically manifests when cookie values are set and not empty, creating a condition where user-controlled data can directly influence administrative session management. This represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and improper access control enforcement, with the cookie handling mechanism failing to distinguish between legitimate administrative cookies and potentially maliciously crafted ones.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it fundamentally undermines the authentication and authorization mechanisms that protect administrative functions within the UCMS platform. An attacker who has already gained a regular authenticated session can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and assume full administrative control over the system. This compromise enables unauthorized access to sensitive system configurations, user data, content management capabilities, and potentially allows for further lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The remote nature of this attack means that exploitation can occur from any location without requiring physical access or additional authentication factors, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where such systems may be exposed to external networks. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor path that bypasses normal administrative access controls, potentially allowing for complete system takeover and data exfiltration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate technical flaw and broader security practices within the application. The primary fix involves implementing proper input validation and sanitization of cookie values before they are processed for administrative purposes, ensuring that only legitimate and expected cookie formats are accepted. This includes implementing strict validation of cookie content and enforcing proper access control checks that verify the authenticity and integrity of administrative sessions. Additionally, the application should implement secure session management practices including proper cookie security attributes, session regeneration upon privilege changes, and robust authentication mechanisms that prevent arbitrary cookie manipulation. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation, monitoring for unusual authentication patterns, and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285 (Improper Authorization) and CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) categories, and represents a technique that could be categorized under ATT&CK tactic of Privilege Escalation through credential manipulation. The fix should also include implementing proper error handling to prevent information disclosure and ensure that cookie validation failures are handled securely without revealing system internals to potential attackers.