CVE-2023-39691 in kodbox
Summary
by MITRE • 01/17/2024
An issue discovered in kodbox through 1.43 allows attackers to arbitrarily add Administrator accounts via crafted GET request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-39691 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within kodbox version 1.43 and earlier. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient access control mechanisms that permit unauthorized actors to manipulate the application's administrative account creation process through carefully crafted GET requests. The flaw exists in the application's user management subsystem where it fails to properly authenticate or authorize requests attempting to add new administrator accounts, effectively allowing any remote attacker to escalate privileges without proper credentials or permissions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of GET parameters that are typically used for legitimate administrative functions within the kodbox framework. Attackers can construct malicious URLs containing specific parameter values that trigger the account creation functionality without requiring valid administrative credentials or session tokens. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security model where the system does not properly validate the origin or legitimacy of requests attempting to modify user accounts. The vulnerability manifests as a failure in implementing proper authorization checks, which is categorized under CWE-285 - Improper Authorization, and specifically relates to CWE-863 - Incorrect Authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing kodbox versions up to 1.43. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can immediately gain full administrative control over the affected system, enabling them to modify or delete content, access sensitive data, manipulate user accounts, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. This privilege escalation capability allows attackers to effectively compromise the entire application and underlying infrastructure, as administrative accounts typically possess unrestricted access to all system functions and data. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected systems, representing a complete breakdown of the application's security controls.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to kodbox version 1.44 or later where this vulnerability has been patched, applying web application firewalls to monitor and block suspicious GET parameter patterns, and conducting thorough security assessments of all administrative functions within the application. The fix typically involves implementing proper input validation, strengthening authorization checks, and ensuring that all administrative account creation functions require valid authentication tokens or session management. Security teams should also review and audit existing administrative accounts to identify any unauthorized additions that may have occurred during the vulnerability's active period, and implement monitoring for unusual account creation patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 - Valid Accounts, as it allows attackers to create and abuse legitimate administrative accounts to maintain persistent access to target systems.