CVE-2018-8811 in OpenCms
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in system/workplace/admin/accounts/user_role.jsp in OpenCMS 10.5.3 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrative users for requests that perform privilege escalation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/05/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-8811 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the OpenCMS content management system version 10.5.3. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative interface located at system/workplace/admin/accounts/user_role.jsp, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on OpenCMS for their web presence. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate administrative sessions and execute privileged operations without proper authentication, creating a severe security risk for web applications that depend on this platform.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms within the targeted administrative endpoint. When administrative users navigate to malicious websites or receive crafted requests, the vulnerable system fails to verify the authenticity of the request origin, allowing attackers to perform unauthorized actions such as privilege escalation. This weakness operates at the application layer and specifically affects the user role management functionality, potentially enabling attackers to elevate their privileges or modify user permissions within the CMS. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1548.001 for Abuse of Functionality, as it exploits legitimate administrative capabilities for unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can lead to complete system compromise when combined with other attack vectors. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw can modify user roles, gain administrative access to the CMS, and potentially access sensitive content or modify website configurations. The remote nature of this attack means that exploitation can occur without physical access to the system, making it particularly concerning for organizations with web-facing applications. This vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the OpenCMS system, as it allows unauthorized modifications to user access controls and potentially enables further attacks through compromised administrative accounts. The attack surface is significant given that administrative functions are frequently accessed through web browsers, making the exploitation relatively straightforward for threat actors.
Organizations utilizing OpenCMS 10.5.3 should immediately implement mitigations including the application of the vendor-provided security patch, which addresses the missing CSRF protection mechanisms in the affected administrative endpoint. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the affected JSP component is essential, ensuring that all administrative requests contain valid, time-bound tokens that prevent unauthorized operations. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block CSRF attack patterns, along with regular security audits to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The mitigation strategy should also include user education regarding the dangers of visiting untrusted websites while logged into administrative sessions, as well as implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts to provide additional protection layers against exploitation attempts.