CVE-2018-7590 in Hoosk
Summary
by MITRE
CSRF exists in Hoosk 1.7.0 via /admin/users/new/add, resulting in account creation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7590 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Hoosk content management system version 1.7.0. This weakness resides in the administrative user management endpoint at /admin/users/new/add, where the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms. The vulnerability allows malicious actors to trick authenticated administrators into creating unauthorized user accounts without their knowledge or consent, effectively enabling privilege escalation and potential system compromise.
This flaw falls under the CWE-352 category of Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is classified as a serious web application security vulnerability that exploits the trust a web application places in a user's browser. The vulnerability operates by leveraging the fact that the target application does not validate the origin of requests made to the user creation endpoint, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the server. The attack typically involves tricking an authenticated administrator into visiting a malicious website or clicking on a crafted link that automatically submits a request to the vulnerable endpoint.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with a direct pathway to establish persistent access within the application's administrative environment. Once an attacker successfully creates a new user account with administrative privileges, they can manipulate the system in numerous ways including but not limited to modifying content, accessing sensitive data, changing user permissions, and potentially escalating their privileges further. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the administrative interface, which typically has the highest level of system access and control.
The exploitation of this CSRF vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise and can be accomplished through simple web-based attack vectors. Attackers can embed malicious JavaScript code within compromised websites or send phishing emails containing links that automatically trigger the user creation process. The attack is particularly effective against administrators who may not be fully aware of the security implications of visiting untrusted websites while authenticated to the target application. The lack of proper CSRF token validation in the /admin/users/new/add endpoint creates an environment where any request sent to this specific route can be executed without proper authorization checks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-7590 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the application. The most effective approach involves implementing unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that are validated on every state-changing request to the administrative endpoints. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as requiring multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, implementing proper session management, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, particularly regarding the protection of administrative interfaces and the implementation of proper request validation mechanisms. Regular updates and patch management procedures should be enforced to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities in web applications.