CVE-2019-12246 in SilverStripe
Summary
by MITRE
SilverStripe through 4.3.3 allows a Denial of Service on flush and development URL tools.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2020
CVE-2019-12246 represents a denial of service vulnerability affecting SilverStripe content management systems through version 4.3.3. This vulnerability specifically targets the flush and development URL tools within the SilverStripe framework, which are commonly used by developers and administrators for cache clearing and system debugging purposes. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit these tools in ways that can disrupt normal system operations and availability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the flush and development URL handling mechanisms. When users access specific endpoints or pass particular parameters to these tools, the system fails to properly validate the incoming data, creating opportunities for resource exhaustion or unexpected behavior. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious requests that consume excessive system resources or trigger unintended system states, ultimately leading to service disruption.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations relying on SilverStripe platforms. The denial of service condition can result in complete system unavailability, affecting website accessibility and potentially impacting business operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness to render critical web applications inaccessible to legitimate users, causing downtime and potential financial losses. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects core administrative functions that are frequently accessed during normal system operations, making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate usage and malicious exploitation.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting access to flush and development URL tools through network-level controls, implementing rate limiting mechanisms, and ensuring proper authentication and authorization protocols are enforced. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes resource exhaustion flaws, and may map to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 related to network denial of service attacks. System administrators should also consider disabling development tools in production environments and regularly updating SilverStripe installations to patched versions. Additionally, monitoring and logging of access to these tools should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain security posture compliance with industry standards.