CVE-2020-19682 in zzzcms
Summary
by MITRE • 12/09/2021
A Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability exits in ZZZCMS V1.7.1 via the save_user funciton in save.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-19682 represents a critical Cross Site Request Forgery flaw within ZZZCMS version 1.7.1, specifically manifesting through the save_user function in the save.php file. This weakness allows authenticated attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims by exploiting the application's failure to properly validate request origins and implement adequate anti-CSRF mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from insufficient protection against malicious requests that could be initiated from compromised user sessions, potentially enabling attackers to modify user accounts or perform administrative operations without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when the save_user function in save.php processes user data modifications without verifying the authenticity of the request source. This flaw aligns with CWE-352, which categorizes Cross Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities as those where applications fail to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources. The vulnerability exists because the application does not implement proper CSRF tokens or origin validation mechanisms, making it susceptible to attacks where malicious actors can craft requests that appear to come from authenticated users. Attackers can exploit this by tricking victims into clicking malicious links or visiting compromised websites that submit requests to the vulnerable ZZZCMS instance, potentially leading to unauthorized user modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account compromise, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges and gain deeper access to the CMS system. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability could modify user permissions, create new administrator accounts, or alter critical system configurations that affect the entire content management platform. This risk is particularly concerning in environments where ZZZCMS serves as the primary content management solution for websites, as it could lead to complete system compromise and unauthorized content manipulation. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531, which covers the use of credentials to gain access to systems and resources, as successful exploitation could result in credential theft and unauthorized access to administrative functions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-19682 should focus on implementing robust CSRF protection mechanisms within the ZZZCMS application. Organizations should ensure that all state-changing operations in save.php include unique, unpredictable CSRF tokens that are validated against user sessions before processing any modifications. The implementation should follow industry best practices for CSRF protection, including the use of anti-CSRF tokens, proper request origin validation, and session management controls. Additionally, the application should be updated to a patched version of ZZZCMS that addresses this specific vulnerability, as the vendor likely released security updates to resolve the authentication bypass issue. Security teams should also implement monitoring for suspicious administrative activities and consider network-level protections to detect and prevent unauthorized requests to the save.php endpoint. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application functions that handle user data modifications.