CVE-2021-28490 in Retail Customer Management and Segmentation Foundation
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2021
In OWASP CSRFGuard through 3.1.0, CSRF can occur because the CSRF cookie may be retrieved by using only a session token.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-28490 affects OWASP CSRFGuard versions 3.1.0 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw that undermines the protection mechanisms designed to prevent cross-site request forgery attacks. This vulnerability stems from the improper handling of CSRF protection mechanisms within the OWASP CSRFGuard library, which is widely used to implement anti-CSRF measures in web applications. The flaw specifically relates to how the library manages session tokens and CSRF cookies, creating a pathway for malicious actors to bypass the intended security controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the insufficient separation between session identifiers and CSRF tokens within the OWASP CSRFGuard framework. When an attacker can retrieve a CSRF cookie using only a session token, they effectively eliminate the security boundary that should exist between these two critical components. This weakness allows attackers to construct malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate authenticated users, as the CSRF protection mechanism fails to properly validate the authenticity of requests. The vulnerability manifests when the system permits the extraction of CSRF protection tokens through session-based access, thereby undermining the fundamental principle that CSRF tokens should remain tied to specific user sessions and not be derivable from session identifiers alone.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing OWASP CSRFGuard in their web applications. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially leading to account takeovers, data manipulation, or privilege escalation within affected applications. The vulnerability creates a persistent risk that can be exploited across multiple sessions and user contexts, as long as the attacker can obtain a valid session token. This flaw particularly affects web applications that rely on OWASP CSRFGuard for CSRF protection, potentially exposing sensitive user data and system functionalities to unauthorized access. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential service disruption and reputational damage, as the vulnerability represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture.
The root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) weaknesses in web applications. This classification indicates that the vulnerability represents a classic implementation flaw in the CSRF protection mechanism where the system fails to properly validate the authenticity of requests. The issue also relates to ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which covers the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to user sessions. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of OWASP CSRFGuard, ensuring proper separation between session tokens and CSRF tokens, and implementing additional verification mechanisms. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive audits of their web application security controls to identify any other potential CSRF vulnerabilities and establish robust monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.