CVE-2020-23342 in CMS
Summary
by MITRE • 01/19/2021
A CSRF vulnerability exists in Anchor CMS 0.12.7 anchor/views/users/edit.php that can change the Delete admin users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-23342 represents a cross-site request forgery flaw within Anchor CMS version 0.12.7 specifically affecting the user management functionality. This issue resides in the anchor/views/users/edit.php file where the application fails to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms when processing administrative user deletion requests. The flaw allows authenticated attackers to manipulate the application's behavior through maliciously crafted requests that exploit the trust relationship between the victim user and the web application.
This CSRF vulnerability operates by tricking authenticated users into executing unintended actions without their knowledge or consent. When an administrator navigates to the user editing interface, the application does not validate the authenticity of requests originating from the legitimate user session. The vulnerability specifically targets the delete admin users functionality, which means an attacker could potentially remove administrative accounts from the system, thereby compromising the security posture of the entire CMS installation. The flaw stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms that would normally verify the request originates from the legitimate user interface rather than an attacker-controlled source.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account deletion as it fundamentally undermines the integrity of the administrative access control system. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw could gain persistent access to the CMS administration interface, potentially leading to complete system compromise through further exploitation vectors. The vulnerability affects the principle of least privilege and can result in unauthorized privilege escalation, as the attacker could remove security-critical administrative accounts and then potentially assume those roles themselves. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the availability and integrity of the content management system, as unauthorized modifications to user permissions can lead to complete system takeover.
From a security standards perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw also relates to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials for persistence, as removing admin accounts could be part of a broader attack strategy to establish persistent access. Organizations should implement comprehensive CSRF protection mechanisms including the use of anti-CSRF tokens, proper request validation, and ensuring that all administrative actions require explicit user confirmation. The mitigation strategy should include immediate patching of the Anchor CMS installation to the latest version, implementation of web application firewalls, and regular security audits of all CMS components to identify similar vulnerabilities. Additionally, administrators should be trained to recognize potential CSRF attack vectors and implement proper session management practices to minimize the attack surface.
The exploitation of this vulnerability typically requires social engineering techniques where attackers craft malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by authenticated administrators, automatically submit deletion requests to the vulnerable CMS instance. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through seemingly benign user interactions. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and monitoring for unusual administrative activities that might indicate successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and request authentication in web applications, particularly in administrative interfaces where the consequences of successful exploitation can be severe.