CVE-2019-7737 in Verydows
Summary
by MITRE
A CSRF vulnerability was found in Verydows v2.0 that can add an admin account via index.php?m=backend&c=admin&a=add&step=submit.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-7737 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Verydows content management system version 2.0. This vulnerability exists in the administrative backend functionality where users can add new administrator accounts through a specific URL endpoint. The flaw allows an attacker to exploit the lack of proper authentication mechanisms and anti-CSRF tokens, enabling unauthorized individuals to create administrative user accounts without legitimate credentials. This represents a fundamental failure in the web application's security architecture, particularly concerning privileged account management operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF protection measures within the targeted endpoint. When an administrator visits the page index.php?m=backend&c=admin&a=add&step=submit, the application fails to implement proper CSRF token validation or referer header checking. This allows an attacker to craft malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to create new admin accounts. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and insufficient session management practices that are fundamental requirements for secure web application development.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for any organization using the affected Verydows version. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability can escalate privileges within the system, gaining administrative control over the entire content management platform. This elevated access level allows for complete system compromise, including the ability to modify or delete content, alter user permissions, access sensitive data, and potentially use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the network. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor for attackers to establish persistent administrative access, making it particularly dangerous for web applications handling sensitive information or serving as critical business infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. Organizations should implement comprehensive CSRF protection mechanisms including the use of anti-CSRF tokens that are generated per session and validated on each request. The application should enforce strict referer header validation and implement proper session management practices to ensure that all administrative operations require proper authentication and authorization. Security patches should be applied immediately to update the Verydows system to versions that address this vulnerability, while organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative account creation activities. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and credential access through web application vulnerabilities.