CVE-2021-3963 in kimai2
Summary
by MITRE • 11/19/2021
kimai2 is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-3963 affects kimai2, an open-source time-tracking application that serves as a comprehensive solution for managing work hours and project billing. This particular weakness manifests as a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that could potentially allow attackers to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users within the application environment. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the application's web interface.
Kimai2's CSRF vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that operates by exploiting the trust relationship between the web application and the user's browser. When a user is authenticated within the kimai2 application, their browser maintains session cookies that are automatically included with every request to the application. An attacker can craft malicious web pages or emails that contain hidden form submissions or crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated user, perform actions without their knowledge or consent. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category of Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that has been consistently documented in security assessments and penetration testing activities.
The operational impact of this CSRF vulnerability within kimai2 environment is significant as it could enable attackers to perform administrative actions, modify user permissions, create or delete time entries, alter project settings, or manipulate financial data without user awareness. Attackers could potentially exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges within the time-tracking system, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive billing information, manipulation of work hour records, or disruption of project management workflows. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited through social engineering techniques where users might be tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links while authenticated to the kimai2 application.
From a security framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering and T1078 for valid accounts. The exploitation of CSRF vulnerabilities in web applications demonstrates the importance of implementing robust input validation and proper session management controls. Organizations using kimai2 should consider implementing comprehensive CSRF protection mechanisms such as anti-CSRF tokens, origin validation checks, and proper request verification procedures. The vulnerability also highlights the necessity of regular security assessments and code reviews to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in web applications. Security teams should prioritize updating to patched versions of kimai2 and implementing additional monitoring controls to detect suspicious activities that might indicate CSRF attack attempts. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the implemented CSRF protections to ensure they effectively prevent unauthorized actions while maintaining legitimate user functionality within the application environment.