CVE-2019-13974 in LayerBB
Summary
by MITRE
LayerBB 1.1.3 allows conversations.php/cmd/new CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2023
CVE-2019-13974 represents a cross-site request forgery vulnerability identified in LayerBB version 1.1.3, a web-based bulletin board system designed for community forums and discussion platforms. This vulnerability resides within the conversations.php/cmd/new endpoint, which handles the creation of new conversation threads within the application's interface. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit the lack of proper anti-CSRF protections, allowing unauthorized users to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the application's form processing logic. When users navigate to the conversation creation page, the system fails to implement proper token-based validation to ensure that requests originate from legitimate user interactions rather than maliciously crafted requests. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-352, which defines cross-site request forgery as a vulnerability where an attacker tricks a victim into performing actions they did not intend to execute. The vulnerability operates through the exploitation of the trust relationship between the web application and the user's browser, where the application cannot distinguish between legitimate requests initiated by the user and those generated by an attacker.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it can enable attackers to create unauthorized conversation threads, potentially leading to spamming, phishing attempts, or the dissemination of malicious content within the forum environment. In a typical forum setting, this could allow attackers to post inappropriate content, redirect users to malicious websites, or even establish persistent backdoors through carefully crafted conversation threads. The vulnerability particularly affects community-driven platforms where user-generated content is central to the application's functionality, potentially compromising the integrity of discussions and the overall user experience. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to disrupt forum operations, damage reputation, or gain unauthorized access to user data through the creation of malicious content that might contain links to phishing sites or malware distribution points.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include the immediate implementation of anti-CSRF tokens within all state-changing requests, particularly those involving conversation creation and other administrative functions. The application should generate unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session and validate these tokens upon form submission to ensure that requests originate from legitimate user interactions. Security measures should also include proper input validation and request origin verification, along with implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution. Organizations should consider applying the vendor-provided patch or upgrading to a newer version of LayerBB that addresses this vulnerability, while also implementing comprehensive security monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper session management and request validation mechanisms, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious links and payloads, and T1071.004 which addresses application layer protocol usage for command and control communications. The remediation process should also include user education about the risks of clicking suspicious links and the importance of verifying website authenticity before submitting sensitive information.