CVE-2020-19111 in Online Book Store
Summary
by MITRE • 05/06/2021
Incorrect Access Control vulnerability in Online Book Store v1.0 via admin_verify.php, which could let a remote mailicious user bypass authentication and obtain sensitive information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2021
The CVE-2020-19111 vulnerability represents a critical access control flaw in the Online Book Store v1.0 web application that fundamentally undermines the system's security posture. This vulnerability exists within the admin_verify.php component, which serves as a crucial authentication checkpoint for administrative functions. The flaw allows remote attackers to bypass the intended authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to administrative privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects a core security component that should enforce strict access controls for privileged users. The issue demonstrates a classic failure in input validation and session management where the application fails to properly verify user credentials before granting administrative access. This type of vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically addressing the weakness of broken authentication and session management. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited without requiring any special privileges or physical access to the system infrastructure.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from improper validation of administrative credentials within the admin_verify.php script. Attackers can craft malicious requests that bypass the standard authentication flow, potentially through parameter manipulation or by exploiting insecure direct object references. The flaw likely occurs when the application fails to properly validate the session state or authentication tokens before permitting access to administrative functions. This type of vulnerability is classified as a CWE-285: Improper Authorization, which occurs when the system fails to properly enforce access controls for authenticated users. The vulnerability can be leveraged to execute a wide range of malicious activities including but not limited to data exfiltration, user account manipulation, system configuration changes, and privilege escalation attacks. The attack surface is particularly broad as administrative access typically provides unrestricted access to all system functionalities and sensitive data repositories. Security researchers have noted that this vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited by attackers with minimal technical expertise, making it a high-impact threat vector.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-19111 extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, creating cascading security risks that can compromise entire organizational infrastructures. Successful exploitation allows attackers to view, modify, or delete sensitive customer data, including personal information, purchase histories, and potentially payment details. The vulnerability can lead to data breaches that violate regulatory compliance requirements such as gdpr, pci dss, and hipaa, resulting in significant financial penalties and reputational damage. Organizations using this vulnerable application may face extended periods of unauthorized access, during which attackers can establish persistent backdoors, install malware, or conduct insider threat activities. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate the application's business logic, potentially affecting inventory management, pricing systems, and order processing workflows. From an attack chain perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1078: Valid Accounts, where adversaries leverage compromised administrative credentials to maintain persistent access. The impact is particularly severe in environments where this application serves as a critical business component, as it can lead to complete system takeover and data loss.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-19111 must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar vulnerabilities. The primary recommendation involves implementing proper input validation and authentication checks within the admin_verify.php script, ensuring that all administrative access attempts are properly authenticated before granting privileges. Organizations should implement robust session management controls, including secure session token generation, proper session timeout mechanisms, and regular session invalidation. The application should enforce multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and implement rate limiting to prevent brute force attacks against authentication endpoints. Security patches should be applied immediately to address the root cause, and organizations should conduct thorough code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities in other authentication components. Network segmentation should be implemented to limit access to administrative functions to trusted networks only, and logging mechanisms should be enhanced to detect suspicious authentication attempts. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help identify and block exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive security testing such as penetration testing and vulnerability scanning to ensure that the fix is effective and does not introduce new security weaknesses. Organizations should also establish incident response procedures specifically designed to handle authentication bypass vulnerabilities and maintain regular security awareness training for development teams to prevent similar issues in future releases.