CVE-2022-3152 in phpfusion
Summary
by MITRE • 09/07/2022
Unverified Password Change in GitHub repository phpfusion/phpfusion prior to 9.10.20.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/14/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-3152 represents a critical authentication flaw within the phpfusion content management system where users can change passwords without proper verification mechanisms. This issue affects versions prior to 9.10.20 and fundamentally undermines the security posture of affected installations by allowing unauthorized password modifications through a lack of proper validation procedures. The flaw exists in the password change functionality that fails to authenticate the user attempting the modification, creating a path for malicious actors to compromise user accounts without legitimate access credentials.
This vulnerability falls under the category of weak authentication mechanisms and can be classified as a CWE-308 weakness related to the use of a predictable authentication mechanism. The technical implementation fails to validate whether the user requesting a password change is the legitimate account owner, effectively creating a session hijacking or credential theft vector. Attackers can exploit this by simply submitting a password change request for any user account, bypassing the standard verification steps that should confirm the user's identity through current password validation or alternative authentication factors. The vulnerability directly impacts the authentication flow by removing essential checks that should occur before password modifications are processed.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-3152 extends beyond simple account compromise as it enables attackers to gain persistent access to user accounts and potentially escalate privileges within the system. This vulnerability allows for account takeover scenarios where malicious actors can assume control of user sessions, access sensitive information, and perform unauthorized actions within the CMS environment. The flaw also creates opportunities for privilege escalation attacks when combined with other vulnerabilities, as compromised user accounts may have access to administrative functions or sensitive data repositories. From an attacker's perspective, this represents a low-effort, high-impact method for gaining unauthorized access to systems, making it particularly dangerous in environments where phpfusion is deployed.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to phpfusion version 9.10.20 or later, which contains the necessary patches to enforce proper password verification mechanisms. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their phpfusion installations to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement additional monitoring for unauthorized password change activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper authentication controls and highlights the need for robust session management and user verification processes. Implementation of multi-factor authentication and additional security layers can provide defense-in-depth against similar vulnerabilities, while regular security audits and vulnerability assessments help identify potential weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework under credential access and privilege escalation techniques, emphasizing the need for comprehensive authentication security measures across all application components.