CVE-2020-23360 in osCommerce
Summary
by MITRE • 01/28/2021
oscommerce v2.3.4.1 has a functional problem in user registration and password rechecking, where a non-identical password can bypass the checks in /catalog/admin/administrators.php and /catalog/password_reset.php
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-23360 represents a critical security flaw in oscommerce version 2.3.4.1 that fundamentally undermines the integrity of user authentication mechanisms. This issue manifests in two critical administrative endpoints: /catalog/admin/administrators.php and /catalog/password_reset.php where the application fails to properly validate password consistency during user registration and password reset operations. The flaw allows malicious actors to bypass essential password validation checks by submitting non-identical passwords, effectively undermining the security controls designed to enforce strong authentication practices. This vulnerability directly impacts the system's ability to maintain secure user credentials and represents a significant weakness in the application's access control implementation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and comparison logic within the administrative user management functions. When users attempt to register new administrator accounts or reset existing passwords through the affected endpoints, the system performs inadequate verification of password confirmation fields. This failure creates a condition where identical password validation is bypassed, allowing attackers to create accounts with mismatched passwords or reset passwords to arbitrary values without proper confirmation. The vulnerability operates at the application logic level, specifically targeting the password validation routines that should enforce consistency between primary password fields and confirmation fields. This flaw aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software applications, and represents a classic example of insufficient validation of password confirmation mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass to potentially enable unauthorized administrative access to the oscommerce system. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain elevated privileges by creating administrator accounts with weak or predictable passwords, or by resetting existing administrator passwords to values under their control. This access could lead to complete system compromise, allowing unauthorized modification of product catalogs, customer data manipulation, financial transaction tampering, and potential data exfiltration. The vulnerability affects the core authentication infrastructure of the e-commerce platform, making it particularly dangerous as it could enable attackers to maintain persistent access to the administrative interface. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw represents a low-effort, high-impact attack vector that could be exploited without requiring advanced technical skills or specialized tools.
Organizations utilizing oscommerce v2.3.4.1 should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, beginning with applying the official security patches released by the oscommerce development team. The recommended approach involves strengthening the password validation logic in both affected files to ensure proper comparison of password fields before allowing account creation or password reset operations. System administrators should also implement additional security controls including account lockout mechanisms, multi-factor authentication where possible, and regular monitoring of administrative access logs for suspicious activities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and the necessity of implementing robust authentication controls in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive user data and administrative functions. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of all authentication-related code to identify similar validation flaws that may exist within the application or related systems. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper password confirmation mechanisms in maintaining system security and preventing unauthorized access to privileged administrative functions.