CVE-2022-0196 in phoronix-test-suite
Summary
by MITRE • 01/13/2022
phoronix-test-suite is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2022
The phoronix-test-suite application presents a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the application's web interface. The flaw exists in the authentication and session management mechanisms that fail to adequately verify the legitimacy of incoming requests, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit user sessions and execute unintended operations. The vulnerability affects versions of phoronix-test-suite prior to 10.8.1 and represents a significant security risk for users who rely on the application's web-based testing and benchmarking capabilities.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when the application processes HTTP requests without sufficient verification of the request source or proper token validation. Attackers can craft malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate users within the application's session context, enabling them to perform actions such as modifying test configurations, altering user settings, or executing administrative functions without proper authorization. The flaw specifically manifests in the application's handling of state-changing operations through web forms and API endpoints that do not require or properly validate anti-CSRF tokens. This vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery flaws as a direct result of inadequate protection against unauthorized requests that leverage authenticated user sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to potentially compromise the integrity and availability of test environments and system configurations. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could alter benchmarking parameters, inject malicious test configurations, or disrupt ongoing test processes, leading to corrupted test results and potentially misleading performance data. The risk is particularly elevated in environments where phoronix-test-suite is used for critical system evaluation or where multiple users share administrative access to the testing infrastructure. The vulnerability also poses a risk to data confidentiality as attackers might access or modify sensitive test configurations and benchmark results that could contain proprietary information or system performance metrics.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF token mechanisms throughout the application's web interface. The recommended approach includes generating unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session and requiring their validation for all state-changing operations. The application should implement proper origin checking mechanisms and ensure that all requests are authenticated and authorized before processing. Security updates and patches should be applied immediately to versions prior to 10.8.1, with administrators monitoring for any signs of exploitation attempts. Additional protective measures include implementing proper web application firewalls, restricting administrative access to trusted networks, and conducting regular security assessments to identify potential CSRF vectors. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging of administrative activities to detect unauthorized access attempts that might exploit this vulnerability. The remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through forged requests, and addresses the broader category of web application security weaknesses that require comprehensive session management and request validation controls.