CVE-2018-9092 in miniCMS
Summary
by MITRE
There is a CSRF vulnerability in mc-admin/conf.php in MiniCMS 1.10 that can change the administrator account password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-9092 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the MiniCMS 1.10 content management system. This issue specifically affects the mc-admin/conf.php file, which serves as the administrative configuration interface for the system. The vulnerability arises from the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms in the password change functionality, making it susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors who can manipulate administrative sessions without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the lack of anti-CSRF tokens or similar session validation mechanisms within the administrative password change form. When an administrator visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the attacker can leverage the existing authenticated session to submit a forged request to the mc-admin/conf.php endpoint. This allows unauthorized modification of administrator credentials, effectively compromising the entire system's administrative access. The flaw directly maps to CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities as those that permit unauthorized commands to be executed on behalf of authenticated users.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to MiniCMS installations as it enables complete administrative takeover without requiring authentication credentials. An attacker need only convince a logged-in administrator to visit a malicious page or click on a crafted link containing the malicious payload. The impact extends beyond simple password modification, as administrative access typically provides full control over website content, user management, and system configuration. This vulnerability can be exploited in conjunction with other techniques such as social engineering or phishing attacks, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently visit untrusted websites.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-9092 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the affected application. The most effective approach involves incorporating unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that must be validated before any administrative actions are processed. These tokens should be generated server-side and embedded within forms, validated upon submission, and tied to specific user sessions. Additionally, implementing proper session management practices including secure session identifiers, session timeout mechanisms, and requiring re-authentication for sensitive operations would significantly reduce the attack surface. Organizations should also consider implementing the principle of least privilege for administrative accounts and regularly monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes.
Security practitioners should recognize this vulnerability as aligned with ATT&CK technique T1548.002, which covers bypassing user account control through manipulation of application security features. The exploitation of such vulnerabilities often requires minimal technical skill and can be automated, making it a preferred target for threat actors seeking persistent access to web applications. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include checks for CSRF vulnerabilities in all administrative interfaces, particularly in legacy systems like MiniCMS 1.10 that may not have received security updates. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices even in seemingly simple applications, as the administrative interface remains a prime target for attackers seeking system compromise.