CVE-2018-9923 in iCMS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in idreamsoft iCMS through 7.0.7. CSRF exists in admincp.php, as demonstrated by adding an article via an app=article&do=save&frame=iPHP request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-9923 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the idreamsoft iCMS content management system version 7.0.7 and earlier. This weakness resides in the administrative control panel component, specifically in the admincp.php file, which processes requests without adequate validation of the originating source. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker crafts a malicious request that leverages the legitimate administrative privileges of a logged-in user to perform unauthorized actions. The attack vector is demonstrated through a specific request pattern involving the app=article&do=save&frame=iPHP parameters that allow an attacker to inject content or modify existing articles without proper authorization.
This CSRF vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which defines cross-site request forgery as a security weakness that allows an attacker to trick a victim into performing actions they did not intend to execute. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate the administrative interface of the CMS without requiring authentication credentials, as long as a victim maintains an active administrative session. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the application layer, where the administrative functions are directly accessible through predictable URL patterns and parameter structures. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed through simple HTML forms or JavaScript code that automatically submits requests to the vulnerable endpoint.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple content modification, as it provides attackers with persistent access to administrative functions that could be used to escalate privileges, modify user accounts, alter system configurations, or establish backdoors within the CMS infrastructure. Attackers could potentially use this vulnerability to deface websites, inject malicious code, or compromise the entire content management system. The attack can be executed through social engineering techniques where users are tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links while maintaining their administrative sessions. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on iCMS for content management, as the vulnerability can remain undetected while attackers quietly exploit the administrative access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-9923 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF mechanisms within the application. The most effective approach involves implementing unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that must be validated before processing any administrative requests. These tokens should be generated server-side and embedded within forms or API requests to ensure that requests originate from legitimate sources. Additionally, implementing proper referer header validation and same-site cookie attributes can provide additional layers of protection against unauthorized requests. Organizations should also ensure that administrative sessions have appropriate timeout mechanisms and that all administrative functions require explicit user confirmation before execution. The remediation process should include immediate patching of the iCMS software to version 7.0.8 or later, which contains the necessary CSRF protection mechanisms. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious administrative activities, and regular security audits should be conducted to identify potential vulnerabilities in similar components of the CMS or related applications. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper access controls and input validation in administrative interfaces, as highlighted by the ATT&CK framework's emphasis on privilege escalation and persistence techniques that can be enabled through such flaws.