CVE-2018-19621 in ShowDoc
Summary
by MITRE
server/index.php?s=/api/teamMember/save in ShowDoc 2.4.2 has a CSRF that can add members to a team.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-19621 resides within the ShowDoc 2.4.2 web application, specifically in the server/index.php file where the api/teamMember/save endpoint is exposed. This represents a classic cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to manipulate the application's functionality without proper authorization. The flaw occurs when the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms for critical operations such as adding team members to projects, making it susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors who can craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the application's security controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF token validation within the team member management functionality. When a user navigates to the vulnerable endpoint, the application accepts requests without verifying the authenticity of the request source or confirming that the action originated from an authorized user session. This weakness aligns with CWE-352, which defines cross-site request forgery as a security vulnerability where an attacker tricks a victim into performing actions they did not intend to execute. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's authentication and authorization mechanisms, as it allows an attacker to bypass the normal access control checks that should prevent unauthorized modifications to team membership.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations using ShowDoc 2.4.2 as their documentation management platform. An attacker could leverage this flaw to add malicious users to existing teams, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive project documentation and resources. This could lead to data exposure, unauthorized modifications to project content, and potential privilege escalation within the application's user management system. The vulnerability particularly affects collaborative environments where team member management is frequently performed, as the attack surface expands with each legitimate user session that could be exploited.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms throughout the application. Organizations should ensure that all state-changing operations, particularly those involving user management and team modifications, require valid CSRF tokens that are tied to the user's current session. The implementation should follow established security practices such as using unique tokens per session, validating token authenticity on the server side, and ensuring tokens are properly invalidated upon session termination. Additionally, this vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation and output encoding as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security principles, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which addresses valid accounts and privilege escalation. Organizations should also implement proper access controls and audit logging to detect unauthorized team membership changes and monitor for suspicious activities that may indicate exploitation attempts.