CVE-2018-9927 in WUZHI
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in WUZHI CMS 4.1.0. There is a CSRF vulnerability that can add a user account via index.php?m=member&f=index&v=add.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-9927 represents a cross-site request forgery flaw within WUZHI CMS version 4.1.0 that poses significant security risks to web applications utilizing this content management system. This type of vulnerability allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, effectively undermining the security model of the application.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs through the specific endpoint index.php?m=member&f=index&v=add which is designed to handle user account creation functionality. When an authenticated user visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link containing the exploit, the browser automatically submits a request to this endpoint without the user's awareness. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms within the form processing logic, allowing attackers to forge requests that appear legitimate to the server.
This vulnerability impacts the operational security posture of affected systems by enabling unauthorized user account creation, which can lead to privilege escalation, data manipulation, and potential system compromise. The successful exploitation allows attackers to add new user accounts with potentially elevated privileges, creating backdoors or gaining persistent access to the application. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability directly relates to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications.
The operational impact extends beyond simple account creation as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as privilege abuse, data exfiltration, and service disruption. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create accounts with administrative privileges or to establish persistent access points within the application. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts as a means of gaining access to systems, and T1531 which addresses account access removal, though in this case the vulnerability enables unauthorized account creation rather than removal.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-9927 should focus on implementing proper CSRF protection mechanisms including the use of anti-CSRF tokens, implementing strict referer header validation, and ensuring that all state-changing operations require explicit user confirmation. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests, regularly updating their CMS installations, and conducting thorough security assessments. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and request verification in web applications, particularly those handling user account management functions. Security teams should prioritize patching affected systems and implementing comprehensive monitoring to detect unauthorized account creation attempts. Additionally, organizations should establish security awareness training for administrators to recognize and respond to potential CSRF attacks that may leverage similar vulnerabilities in other components of their web infrastructure.