CVE-2021-27759 in BigFix Inventory
Summary
by MITRE • 05/06/2022
This vulnerability arises because the application allows the user to perform some sensitive action without verifying that the request was sent intentionally. An attacker can cause a victim's browser to emit an HTTP request to an arbitrary URL in the application.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2022
This vulnerability represents a classic case of insecure direct object reference and cross-site request forgery that stems from inadequate input validation and request verification mechanisms within the application's security architecture. The flaw exists when the application fails to properly authenticate and validate that a request originates from an authorized user with genuine intent rather than being automatically triggered by malicious actors. This creates a scenario where an attacker can craft malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities to coerce a victim's browser into executing unauthorized actions against the vulnerable application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability typically occurs when the application accepts requests that should require explicit user confirmation or authentication but instead processes them based solely on available parameters or session information. This allows attackers to construct specially crafted URLs or HTML forms that, when visited by a victim, automatically submit requests to the target application. The vulnerability often manifests in applications that handle sensitive operations such as account modifications, privilege changes, or data deletions without requiring additional verification steps beyond basic authentication. This weakness can be categorized under CWE-352 Cross-Site Request Forgery and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 Initial Access: Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers can exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to user accounts or perform malicious actions on behalf of victims.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to encompass potential account takeovers, privilege escalation, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform actions such as changing user passwords, modifying account settings, transferring funds, or deleting critical data without the victim's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through social engineering campaigns where victims unknowingly visit malicious websites that contain embedded requests to the vulnerable application. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be maintained over time and scaled across multiple users within an organization.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust request verification mechanisms including the use of anti-forgery tokens, implementing proper user confirmation flows for sensitive operations, and ensuring that all requests undergo comprehensive authentication checks before execution. Organizations should deploy proper input validation and parameter sanitization to prevent malicious parameter injection, while also implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the scope of potential exploitation. The solution architecture must incorporate explicit user intent verification through mechanisms such as CAPTCHA challenges, secondary authentication factors, or explicit confirmation dialogs before processing sensitive operations. Additionally, regular security testing including penetration testing and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in the application's security controls, with particular attention to ensuring that all HTTP requests are properly validated against expected user behavior patterns and that the application enforces proper authorization checks for every action performed.