CVE-2020-18131 in Clan Scripts
Summary
by MITRE • 05/08/2023
Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Bluethrust Clan Scripts v4 allows attackers to escilate privledges to an arbitrary account via a crafted request to /members/console.php?cID=5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/28/2023
The CVE-2020-18131 vulnerability represents a critical cross site request forgery flaw within Bluethrust Clan Scripts version 4 that enables unauthorized privilege escalation attacks. This vulnerability exists in the administrative console component of the web application, specifically at the /members/console.php endpoint where the cID parameter controls account access levels. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted requests that manipulate the application's behavior.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic CSRF attack vector where an attacker can leverage a victim's authenticated session to perform administrative actions without their knowledge or consent. When the malicious request is executed against the vulnerable endpoint with the cID parameter set to a target account identifier, the application processes the request as if it originated from a legitimate administrator. This occurs because the application fails to validate the referer header or implement anti-CSRF tokens that would normally prevent such unauthorized operations. The vulnerability specifically affects the privilege escalation mechanism within the clan management system, allowing attackers to assume control of arbitrary user accounts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking to include complete administrative control over user accounts and potentially sensitive system data. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to modify user permissions, access restricted content, manipulate clan member information, or even delete accounts entirely. The risk is particularly severe because the attack requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage, making it highly exploitable in phishing campaigns or compromised websites. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the authentication mechanisms that should protect administrative functions within the application.
Security mitigations for CVE-2020-18131 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection measures including the generation and validation of unique tokens for each user session. The application must validate the referer header or implement proper origin checking mechanisms to ensure requests originate from legitimate sources within the application. Additionally, all administrative endpoints should require explicit user confirmation for privilege escalation operations and implement proper session management controls. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1548.005 Privilege Escalation through the use of web application vulnerabilities to gain administrative access. Organizations should also implement web application firewalls and regularly audit their applications for similar CSRF vulnerabilities in their codebase, particularly focusing on endpoints that handle user account management and administrative functions.