CVE-2022-44216 in Gnuboard
Summary
by MITRE • 02/20/2023
Gnuboard 5.5.4 and 5.5.5 is vulnerable to Insecure Permissions. An attacker can change password of all users without knowing victim's original password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-44216 affects Gnuboard versions 5.5.4 and 5.5.5, representing a critical insecure permissions flaw that undermines the authentication security model of the affected system. This vulnerability resides within the user account management functionality where proper access controls have been bypassed, allowing unauthorized individuals to manipulate user credentials without possessing legitimate authentication credentials. The flaw stems from inadequate validation mechanisms that should have enforced proper authorization checks before permitting password modification operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic authorization bypass issue that aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems. Attackers exploiting this weakness can leverage the insecure permissions to perform password changes across all user accounts within the Gnuboard environment, effectively compromising the entire user base without requiring knowledge of existing passwords. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege and proper access control enforcement.
From an operational perspective, the impact of CVE-2022-44216 is severe and far-reaching as it enables attackers to gain persistent access to user accounts, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including web application exploitation, session hijacking, or by leveraging other initial access points within the network infrastructure. The affected system becomes vulnerable to account takeover attacks, credential stuffing operations, and potential lateral movement within the network environment where the Gnuboard system operates.
The attack pattern associated with this vulnerability corresponds to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1078 credential access tactic, specifically targeting legitimate accounts for unauthorized access. This type of vulnerability creates a persistent backdoor for attackers who can systematically compromise user accounts and maintain access without detection. The flaw particularly affects organizations relying on Gnuboard for content management or community platform services where user authentication is critical for maintaining system integrity and data protection.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches, reviewing and strengthening access controls, implementing proper authentication mechanisms, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of the affected systems. Additional defensive measures should encompass monitoring for suspicious authentication activities, enforcing multi-factor authentication, and establishing proper network segmentation to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. The remediation process must include thorough validation of access control implementations and regular security testing to prevent similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities from emerging in the future.