CVE-2022-4409 in phpmyfaq
Summary
by MITRE • 12/11/2022
Sensitive Cookie in HTTPS Session Without 'Secure' Attribute in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.9.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-4409 represents a critical security flaw in the thorsten/phpmyfaq repository software affecting versions prior to 3.1.9. This issue manifests as a sensitive cookie being transmitted over HTTPS sessions without the essential 'Secure' attribute, creating a significant exposure in the application's session management mechanism. The vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions by potentially allowing attackers to intercept and exploit session tokens through man-in-the-middle attacks or network eavesdropping techniques.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper cookie configuration within the phpmyfaq application codebase where session cookies are created without setting the Secure flag. This attribute is crucial for ensuring that cookies are only transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections and never over unencrypted HTTP connections. Without this flag, cookies can be sent over any network connection, making them susceptible to interception when users access the application through insecure network conditions or when attackers can manipulate network traffic between the client and server. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-614, which specifically addresses the issue of sensitive information being transmitted in cleartext over networks due to missing security attributes in cookies.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking, as it creates multiple attack vectors for malicious actors. An attacker who successfully intercepts a cookie without the Secure attribute can potentially gain unauthorized access to user accounts, execute privileged operations, and maintain persistent access to the phpmyfaq application. This weakness particularly affects organizations that may have users accessing the application from public networks, shared computing environments, or when network security is not properly enforced. The vulnerability also increases the risk of credential theft and session fixation attacks, where attackers can manipulate session identifiers to gain unauthorized access to user accounts.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically under the T1566 technique related to credential access through network sniffing and T1185 technique for data from local system. The vulnerability creates an environment where attackers can leverage network-based attacks to compromise user sessions and escalate privileges within the application. Organizations using thorsten/phpmyfaq should immediately implement the recommended remediation by upgrading to version 3.1.9 or later, which properly implements the Secure attribute for session cookies. Additional mitigations include implementing proper network security controls, enforcing HTTPS throughout the application, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar cookie configuration issues. The vulnerability underscores the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper cookie security attributes as outlined in OWASP Top Ten security guidelines and NIST cybersecurity frameworks for web application security.