CVE-2019-7569 in DOYO
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in DOYO (aka doyocms) 2.3(20140425 update). There is a CSRF vulnerability that can add a super administrator account via admin.php?c=a_adminuser&a=add&run=1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-7569 resides within the DOYO content management system version 2.3, specifically affecting the administrative functionality exposed through the admin.php endpoint. This particular version was released in April 2014 and represents a significant security gap that allows unauthorized users to exploit the system's trust model. The flaw manifests in the administrative user management component where the system fails to implement proper cross-site request forgery protection mechanisms, creating a pathway for malicious actors to escalate privileges within the application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the administrative account creation endpoint. When an administrator visits the page admin.php?c=a_adminuser&a=add&run=1, the system processes the request without verifying the authenticity of the request source or the user's intent. This design flaw allows an attacker to craft a malicious webpage or email attachment that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submits a request to create a new super administrator account. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which defines Cross-Site Request Forgery as a weakness where the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the affected CMS installation. Once a super administrator account is created, the attacker gains access to all system functionalities including but not limited to user management, content modification, database access, and system configuration changes. This represents a critical security breach that can lead to full system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential use as a foothold for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious link, making it highly effective for social engineering campaigns.
Organizations running DOYO 2.3 should immediately implement mitigations including the application of the official patch released by the vendor, which would introduce proper CSRF protection mechanisms. The implementation of anti-CSRF tokens within the administrative endpoints represents the primary defense measure, ensuring that all administrative actions require validation of the request origin. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be enforced to limit administrative access to trusted networks and IP addresses. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual administrative activities, particularly account creation events. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts as a means of persistence and privilege escalation. The remediation approach should also include user education regarding the dangers of visiting untrusted websites and the importance of verifying request authenticity before performing administrative tasks, as this vulnerability demonstrates how easily attackers can exploit trust relationships within web applications.