CVE-2021-20102 in Machform
Summary
by MITRE • 06/30/2021
Machform prior to version 16 is vulnerable to cross-site request forgery due to a lack of CSRF tokens in place.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/04/2021
Machform is a web-based form management system that allows users to create, manage, and process online forms. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 16 where the application fails to implement proper cross-site request forgery protection mechanisms. This flaw affects the core authentication and form processing functionality of the application, potentially allowing attackers to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of CSRF tokens in critical form submissions and administrative operations within the Machform application. When users interact with the web interface to perform actions such as creating forms, modifying settings, or accessing administrative functions, the application does not validate that requests originate from legitimate user sessions. This occurs because the system lacks the essential anti-CSRF measures that should be present in any modern web application handling user sessions and privileged operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions within the context of authenticated user sessions. An attacker could craft malicious web pages or emails that, when clicked by an authenticated user, would automatically submit requests to the Machform application. This could result in unauthorized form creation, modification of existing forms, deletion of sensitive data, or even privilege escalation if administrative functions are accessible through the vulnerable endpoints. The vulnerability affects all authenticated users, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have access to the form management system.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) weaknesses in software applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a technique that could be leveraged under the T1566.001 sub-technique for Initial Access through Spearphishing Attachment, where an attacker might deliver a malicious payload that exploits this CSRF vulnerability. The lack of CSRF protection violates fundamental web application security principles and represents a critical oversight in the application's security architecture. Organizations using Machform versions prior to 16 should immediately implement the available security patches or updates from the vendor to address this vulnerability and prevent potential exploitation.
The mitigation strategy involves upgrading to Machform version 16 or later, which includes proper CSRF token implementation. Additionally, administrators should review and test their application's CSRF protection mechanisms, implement proper session management, and ensure that all state-changing operations require validation of user intent through anti-CSRF tokens. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications within their environment.