CVE-2023-37597 in PBX
Summary
by MITRE • 07/11/2023
Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in issabel-pbx v.4.0.0-6 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via the delete user grouplist function.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2026
The CVE-2023-37597 vulnerability represents a critical cross site request forgery weakness identified in the issabel-pbx version 4.0.0-6 telephony system. This vulnerability specifically targets the delete user grouplist function within the web interface, creating a pathway for remote attackers to exploit the system's authentication mechanisms. The issue stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms when processing requests related to user group management operations. This flaw allows malicious actors to craft malicious requests that appear to originate from authenticated users, thereby bypassing the system's security controls and potentially disrupting normal operational procedures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exposes the underlying architecture of the issabel-pbx system to unauthorized manipulation through crafted HTTP requests. When an attacker successfully exploits this CSRF flaw, they can trigger the deletion of user groups without proper authorization, leading to potential service disruption and operational degradation. The vulnerability operates by leveraging the trust relationship between the web application and legitimate users, where the system fails to validate that requests originate from authenticated users with proper authorization. This weakness creates a scenario where an attacker can manipulate the system's user group management functionality to cause unintended consequences including denial of service conditions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on issabel-pbx for their telephony infrastructure. The ability to delete user groups can result in complete disruption of communication services, loss of user access permissions, and potential data integrity issues within the telephony system. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability can lead to extended downtime for critical communication systems, affecting business operations and potentially compromising security posture. Organizations may experience cascading effects as communication services become unavailable, impacting productivity and emergency response capabilities. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the system.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and authentication flow control that violates fundamental security principles. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1213.002 - Data from Information Repositories, as it allows unauthorized access to user group information and manipulation of user access controls. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of anti-CSRF tokens, validation of request origins, and enforcement of proper authentication controls. The recommended remediation strategy involves updating to patched versions of issabel-pbx, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of all web-based administrative interfaces to prevent similar vulnerabilities from persisting in the system architecture.