CVE-2018-7305 in MyBB
Summary
by MITRE
MyBB 1.8.14 is not checking for a valid CSRF token, leading to arbitrary deletion of user accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7305 affects MyBB version 1.8.14 and represents a critical security flaw in the forum software's cross-site request forgery protection mechanisms. This weakness allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the absence of proper CSRF token validation during user account deletion operations, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors who can exploit this oversight to compromise user accounts and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive forum data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the failure to validate CSRF tokens in the account deletion functionality within MyBB's administrative interfaces. When users navigate to the account deletion section, the system should verify that the request originates from a legitimate source by checking for a valid anti-CSRF token. However, the vulnerable version of MyBB does not perform this essential validation, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users. This flaw directly violates security best practices for preventing CSRF attacks and creates a pathway for unauthorized account manipulation through carefully constructed HTTP requests.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-7305 extends beyond simple account deletion, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges and compromise entire forum communities. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can delete user accounts, potentially including administrator accounts, leading to service disruption and loss of user data. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for more sophisticated attacks such as account takeover, where attackers might delete compromised accounts and create new ones with elevated privileges. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in web application security.
Organizations using MyBB 1.8.14 should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability, including upgrading to a patched version of the software. The recommended approach involves applying the official security patches released by the MyBB development team, which typically include proper CSRF token validation mechanisms. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious patterns of CSRF attack attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security measures and the potential consequences of failing to validate user requests through proper authentication and authorization mechanisms. This weakness also relates to ATT&CK technique T1190, which describes the exploitation of vulnerabilities in applications to gain unauthorized access, highlighting the need for comprehensive vulnerability management programs that include regular security assessments and patch deployment protocols.