CVE-2020-9018 in LiteCart
Summary
by MITRE
LiteCart through 2.2.1 allows admin/?app=users&doc=edit_user CSRF to add a user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-9018 affects LiteCart versions 2.2.1 and earlier, specifically targeting the administrative user management functionality. This issue represents a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables authenticated administrators to be tricked into performing unintended actions without their knowledge or consent. The vulnerability exists within the user management module where administrators can edit user accounts through the URL path admin/?app=users&doc=edit_user, making it a critical security flaw that could compromise the entire system's user integrity.
The technical flaw stems from the absence of proper anti-cross-site request forgery protection mechanisms within the LiteCart administrative interface. When an administrator visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the attacker can construct a malicious request that automatically submits data to the vulnerable LiteCart application. This particular vulnerability allows an attacker to add new user accounts to the system, effectively bypassing normal authentication and authorization controls. The flaw operates because the application does not validate the origin of requests or implement token-based verification mechanisms that would normally prevent unauthorized actions from being executed on behalf of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with the ability to escalate privileges and establish persistent access within the system. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability can create new user accounts with varying levels of access rights, potentially including administrative privileges. This capability enables unauthorized individuals to gain control over the entire LiteCart platform, compromise sensitive customer data, manipulate product information, and potentially use the system as a launch point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability essentially allows for unauthorized user creation, which directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to complete system compromise.
Organizations using affected LiteCart versions should immediately implement mitigations including the implementation of anti-CSRF tokens for all administrative actions, validation of request origins, and proper session management controls. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566.001 for credential access through social engineering. Security patches should be applied to upgrade to versions that include proper CSRF protection mechanisms, and administrators should review user account permissions and implement additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized account creation attempts. Network segmentation and regular security audits should also be conducted to ensure the integrity of the administrative interface and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other system components.