CVE-2020-23686 in AyaCMS
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2021
Cross site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in AyaCMS 3.1.2 allows attackers to change an administrators password or other unspecified impacts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-23686 represents a critical cross site request forgery flaw within AyaCMS version 3.1.2, a content management system that falls under the category of web application security weaknesses. This CSRF vulnerability specifically targets the administrative functions of the platform, creating a significant risk for organizations that rely on the system for content management and user administration. The flaw exists in the application's failure to properly validate and authenticate cross-origin requests, allowing malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between the web application and its authenticated users. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-352, which defines Cross-Site Request Forgery as a weakness where an attacker tricks a victim into performing actions they did not intend to execute. This weakness is particularly dangerous in content management systems where administrative privileges grant extensive control over the entire platform.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or mechanisms within the administrative endpoints of AyaCMS 3.1.2. When an administrator navigates to the system's administrative interface, the application should validate that requests originate from legitimate sources and contain appropriate authentication tokens. However, in this case, the system fails to enforce such validation, making it possible for attackers to construct malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users. The vulnerability specifically allows for password changes of administrative accounts, which represents a severe compromise of system security. The impact extends beyond simple password modification, as the unspecified impacts could include unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of content, deletion of critical system components, or potentially complete system takeover. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to the CMS administration functions without the user's knowledge or consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations using AyaCMS 3.1.2, particularly those that do not maintain robust network segmentation or monitoring controls. Once an attacker successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability, they gain administrative privileges that provide complete control over the content management system. This includes the ability to modify or delete content, alter user permissions, access confidential information, and potentially establish persistent access through backdoor creation or other malicious activities. The attack vector typically involves social engineering techniques where administrators are tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links that contain embedded CSRF payloads. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require advanced technical skills, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by threat actors with minimal expertise. Organizations may face regulatory compliance issues, data breaches, and potential legal consequences if this vulnerability is exploited, as it represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture and violates principles outlined in various cybersecurity frameworks.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of the affected AyaCMS version to address the core authentication and validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring and alerting systems to detect unusual administrative activities, particularly unauthorized password changes or suspicious access patterns. The implementation of proper anti-CSRF tokens, such as those based on the OWASP CSRF Prevention Cheat Sheet recommendations, should be enforced across all administrative endpoints. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. The remediation process should include thorough testing to ensure that the patch does not introduce compatibility issues with existing functionality, and that proper authentication mechanisms are in place to prevent unauthorized access to administrative features. Security teams should also conduct regular training for administrators to recognize social engineering attempts and maintain awareness of potential CSRF attack vectors that could compromise system integrity.