CVE-2018-5073 in Online Ticket Booking
Summary
by MITRE
Online Ticket Booking has CSRF via admin/movieedit.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5073 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within an online ticket booking system specifically targeting the admin/movieedit.php endpoint. This weakness allows malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of administrators without their knowledge or consent, fundamentally undermining the system's security controls and access management mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the admin/movieedit.php page. When administrators navigate to this administrative interface to modify movie-related information, the application fails to validate the origin of requests or implement token-based authentication checks. This creates an exploitable condition where an attacker can craft malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable endpoint. The flaw operates through the browser's automatic inclusion of cookies and authentication credentials, effectively bypassing the application's intended authorization controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate critical movie database entries, alter showtimes, modify pricing structures, or even delete entire movie records. Given that this affects an administrative interface, the scope of potential damage includes complete disruption of the ticket booking system's functionality and potential financial losses. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on automated booking systems where administrative privileges are frequently used, creating an elevated risk profile for businesses in the entertainment and hospitality sectors.
Organizations should implement comprehensive CSRF protection measures including the use of anti-CSRF tokens that are generated per session and validated on each request. The implementation should follow established security frameworks such as those recommended by the Open Web Application Security Project and align with CWE-352 standards for cross-site request forgery prevention. Additionally, organizations should deploy Content Security Policy headers and ensure proper session management controls are in place. The mitigation strategy must include regular security testing and code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities across the entire application stack, particularly in administrative interfaces where privileged actions are performed. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing the principle of least privilege and ensuring that administrative functions require explicit user confirmation before execution.