CVE-2023-48751 in Participants Database Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/19/2023
Missing Authorization, Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Roland Barker, xnau webdesign Participants Database allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs, Cross Site Request Forgery.This issue affects Participants Database: from n/a through 2.5.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-48751 represents a critical security flaw in the Participants Database plugin developed by Roland Barker and xnau webdesign. This issue manifests as a combination of missing authorization controls and cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities that collectively allow unauthorized users to access functionality that should be restricted by access control lists. The vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin from the initial release through version 2.5.5, indicating a prolonged period during which systems remained exposed to potential exploitation.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate validation of user permissions and the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the plugin's codebase. When users interact with the Participants Database functionality, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary authorization levels to perform specific actions. This missing authorization check creates a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's access controls, potentially allowing them to manipulate participant data, modify database configurations, or execute administrative functions without proper authentication. The vulnerability specifically impacts the plugin's ability to enforce access control lists that should normally restrict access to sensitive operations based on user roles and permissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions that could compromise the integrity and availability of participant information. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to add, modify, or delete participant records, potentially leading to data corruption, loss of confidential information, or manipulation of participant relationships within the database. The cross-site request forgery aspect amplifies the threat by allowing attackers to trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions through malicious web pages, effectively bypassing the normal authentication mechanisms that should protect the system.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-863, which describes "Incorrect Authorization" where a system fails to properly enforce access control policies, and also relates to CWE-352, covering Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities that enable attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this issue maps to T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering techniques that could be employed to exploit the CSRF component. Organizations running affected versions of the Participants Database plugin should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version, implementing proper CSRF tokens for all user-facing forms, and conducting thorough access control reviews to ensure that all functionality properly enforces authorization boundaries. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining robust access control mechanisms and proper input validation in web applications to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive system functions.