CVE-2023-47020 in Terminal Handler
Summary
by MITRE • 02/08/2024
Multiple Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) chaining in NCR Terminal Handler v.1.5.1 allows privileges to be escalated by an attacker through a crafted request involving user account creation and adding the user to an administrator group. This is exploited by an undisclosed function in the WSDL that lacks security controls and can accept custom content types.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-47020 represents a critical security flaw in NCR Terminal Handler version 1.5.1 that demonstrates the dangerous potential of cross-site request forgery attacks when combined with privilege escalation techniques. This vulnerability specifically targets the web services description language interface that governs the system's communication protocols, creating a pathway for attackers to manipulate user permissions through carefully crafted malicious requests. The flaw exists within the WSDL implementation which serves as the communication framework between different system components, making it a prime target for exploitation due to its central role in system operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate security controls within an undisclosed function within the WSDL interface. This function fails to properly validate content types and lacks essential authentication mechanisms that would normally prevent unauthorized modifications to user accounts and group memberships. The absence of proper input sanitization and validation allows attackers to submit malicious payloads that can create new user accounts and immediately assign them administrative privileges. This represents a classic case of insufficient access control measures combined with weak input validation, creating a dangerous combination that enables unauthorized privilege escalation.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using NCR Terminal Handler v.1.5.1 as it allows attackers to gain administrative control over the system without requiring legitimate credentials. The chaining aspect of the CSRF attack means that multiple malicious operations can be executed in sequence, first creating a user account and then immediately elevating that user's privileges to administrator level. This creates a complete compromise scenario where an attacker can establish a persistent backdoor within the system. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access as the attacker gains the ability to modify system configurations, access sensitive data, and potentially disrupt business operations through the elevated privileges.
Security controls for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and content type checking within the WSDL interface functions. The system requires proper authentication and authorization checks at every point where user account modifications occur, particularly within web services that handle administrative functions. Organizations should implement additional security measures such as anti-CSRF tokens, proper session management, and content type restrictions that prevent the acceptance of unexpected data formats. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues, and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege that should be enforced throughout all system interfaces. Mitigation efforts should also include regular security assessments of web service interfaces and proper access control implementation that prevents unauthorized privilege escalation through automated system functions.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws in web service interfaces can lead to complete system compromise, highlighting the importance of comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle. Organizations should prioritize updating to patched versions of NCR Terminal Handler and implement additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized account creation or privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder that web services interfaces often receive less security scrutiny than core application components, yet they frequently provide the most accessible attack vectors for sophisticated attackers seeking to establish persistent access within enterprise environments.