CVE-2021-20687 in Kagemai
Summary
by MITRE • 04/07/2021
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Kagemai 0.8.8 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2021
The CVE-2021-20687 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in Kagemai version 0.8.8, a web-based application framework that has been widely deployed in enterprise environments. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative authentication mechanisms of the application, creating a significant risk for organizations that rely on Kagemai for their web infrastructure. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection measures, potentially enabling them to execute unauthorized administrative actions on behalf of legitimate users. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the flaw exists in the application's handling of authentication tokens or session management components that are critical to maintaining the integrity of user sessions and administrative privileges. The vulnerability's classification as a CSRF issue indicates that attackers can manipulate the application's behavior through crafted requests that appear to originate from authenticated users, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative functions are frequently accessed and where the application handles sensitive data or operations.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the Kagemai application's administrative interfaces. When administrators perform actions such as modifying user permissions, changing system configurations, or accessing restricted administrative functions, the application should validate that these requests originate from legitimate sources through the use of unique, unpredictable tokens that are tied to the user's current session. Without these protective measures, attackers can craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, will be processed by the application as legitimate administrative commands. This flaw particularly affects the application's session management architecture and demonstrates a failure to implement proper request validation controls that are fundamental to web application security. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, where the absence of anti-CSRF measures allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions with a user's privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-20687 extends beyond simple data theft or modification, as it provides attackers with the potential to completely compromise administrative access to affected systems. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can assume full administrative privileges within the Kagemai application, potentially gaining access to sensitive information, modifying system configurations, creating new administrative accounts, or even executing arbitrary code within the application's environment. This level of access can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and disruption of business operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for organizations that use Kagemai for critical business applications, as it can be exploited through social engineering techniques where administrators are tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target network, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals and nation-state actors alike. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment and T1078 - Valid Accounts, as it leverages legitimate administrative accounts to perform malicious activities.
Organizations utilizing Kagemai 0.8.8 should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability, including applying the latest available patches from the vendor or implementing compensating controls such as implementing proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to a patched version of Kagemai that includes proper CSRF protection measures, ensuring that all administrative interfaces require valid anti-CSRF tokens for each request. Additionally, organizations should implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious requests attempting to exploit CSRF vulnerabilities. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potentially affected applications within their environment that may share similar CSRF vulnerabilities, as the exploitation of one vulnerable component often indicates broader architectural weaknesses. The implementation of proper session management practices, including the use of secure cookies, proper session timeout mechanisms, and regular security audits of web applications, will help prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and regular security training for administrators to reduce the risk of successful social engineering attacks that could exploit this vulnerability.