CVE-2018-20780 in Traq
Summary
by MITRE
Traq 3.7.1 allows admin/users/new CSRF to create an admin account (aka group_id=1).
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-20780 affects Traq version 3.7.1 and represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw that enables authenticated users to escalate their privileges by creating administrative accounts. This vulnerability resides within the user management functionality of the application, specifically in the endpoint responsible for creating new user accounts. The flaw allows an attacker who has gained access to a regular user account to exploit the missing anti-CSRF protection mechanisms to submit malicious requests that create new administrator accounts with group_id=1, effectively granting them full administrative privileges over the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF token validation within the user creation endpoint. When a user submits a request to create a new account through the admin/users/new path, the application fails to verify that the request originated from a legitimate authenticated session. This omission creates a condition where an attacker can craft a malicious webpage or email attachment that, when visited by an authenticated user, automatically submits a request to create a new user account with administrative privileges. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it does not require the attacker to have any prior administrative access or knowledge of the system's internal workings.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, potentially leading to complete system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive data. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain administrative control over the entire Traq instance, allowing them to modify or delete user accounts, access confidential information, alter system configurations, and potentially use the compromised administrative account to pivot into connected systems. This privilege escalation capability undermines the fundamental security model of the application and can result in data breaches, system downtime, and significant financial and reputational damage to organizations relying on the vulnerable software. The vulnerability affects all users who have access to the administrative user creation interface, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have access to the system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms throughout the application. The primary fix involves incorporating unique, unpredictable CSRF tokens that are validated on every state-changing request, particularly those involving user account creation or privilege modifications. Organizations should ensure that all forms and API endpoints that modify system state require proper token validation and that these tokens are properly generated, transmitted, and verified. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and access controls to restrict user account creation to authorized administrative personnel only would significantly reduce the risk. The fix should align with security standards such as CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities, and should be consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1548.001 for abuse of cloud platforms. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application, and developers should follow secure coding practices that emphasize the importance of CSRF protection in web applications. Organizations should also implement monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect suspicious account creation activities that could indicate exploitation attempts.