CVE-2020-23722 in Fuel
Summary
by MITRE • 03/11/2021
An issue was discovered in FUEL CMS 1.4.7. There is a escalation of privilege vulnerability to obtain super admin privilege via the "id" and "fuel_id" parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/30/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-23722 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within FUEL CMS version 1.4.7 that allows attackers to gain super administrator privileges through manipulation of specific parameters. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the application's authentication and authorization framework. The vulnerability specifically targets the "id" and "fuel_id" parameters, which are likely used for user identification and session management within the content management system. The flaw demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture where user-supplied input directly influences privilege levels without proper sanitization or verification processes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the lack of proper parameter validation and authorization checks in the application's backend processing logic. When the system receives requests containing the "id" and "fuel_id" parameters, it appears to accept these values without sufficient verification of the requesting user's actual privileges or the legitimacy of the requested access level. This creates an opportunity for attackers to manipulate these parameters and elevate their privileges from standard user accounts to super administrator status. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues, and specifically manifests as an authorization bypass through parameter manipulation. Attackers can potentially leverage this flaw to access sensitive administrative functions, modify system configurations, and gain complete control over the CMS environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, creating a comprehensive security breach that compromises the entire CMS infrastructure. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can perform actions such as adding or removing users, modifying content, accessing sensitive data, and potentially using the compromised system as a foothold for further attacks within the network. The implications are particularly severe for organizations relying on FUEL CMS for content management, as the compromise of administrative privileges can lead to complete system takeover and data exfiltration. This vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation, and T1566 which covers credential harvesting through social engineering or system exploitation.
Organizations utilizing FUEL CMS 1.4.7 should immediately implement mitigations including input validation for all user-supplied parameters, implementation of proper access control checks, and enforcement of role-based access controls. The recommended remediation involves patching the application to version 1.4.8 or later, which should contain fixes for the privilege escalation vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their CMS environments, implement monitoring for suspicious parameter manipulation attempts, and establish proper logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized privilege escalation attempts. Network segmentation and least-privilege access principles should be enforced to limit the potential damage from such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in web applications, particularly in content management systems that handle sensitive organizational data and administrative functions.