CVE-2023-51316 in Bus Reservation System
Summary
by MITRE • 02/20/2025
A lack of rate limiting in the 'Forgot Password' feature of PHPJabbers Bus Reservation System v1.1 allows attackers to send an excessive amount of email for a legitimate user, leading to a possible Denial of Service (DoS) via a large amount of generated e-mail messages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-51316 represents a critical security flaw in the PHPJabbers Bus Reservation System version 1.1 that stems from inadequate rate limiting mechanisms within the password recovery functionality. This issue falls under the category of weak access control and insufficient resource management, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's email sending capabilities. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it directly impacts the availability of the service by enabling attackers to overwhelm the system's email infrastructure through excessive requests to the forgot password feature.
The technical implementation of this flaw lies in the absence of proper throttling or rate limiting controls when processing password reset requests. When legitimate users or attackers initiate password recovery requests, the system lacks mechanisms to monitor and restrict the frequency of email generation for the same user account. This absence of controls allows an attacker to repeatedly submit requests for the same email address without any imposed delays or request caps, resulting in the generation of numerous email messages that can flood the recipient's inbox and potentially overwhelm the email server infrastructure. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in the application's resource management and access control mechanisms, aligning with CWE-307 which addresses inadequate protection against excessive authorization attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple email flooding to create a potential denial of service condition that affects both legitimate users and the overall system availability. When an attacker exploits this weakness, they can effectively prevent legitimate users from receiving their password reset emails, creating a service disruption that impacts user experience and potentially leading to account lockout scenarios. The vulnerability also poses risks to the email server infrastructure itself, as excessive email volume can trigger spam filters, consume bandwidth, and potentially cause the email service to become temporarily unavailable. This type of attack can be classified under the attack pattern of resource exhaustion within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically targeting the availability aspect of the system's security posture.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust rate limiting mechanisms that monitor and control the frequency of password reset requests per user account and IP address. The system should enforce time-based restrictions between consecutive password reset requests, implement account lockout mechanisms after excessive failed attempts, and consider implementing CAPTCHA verification for suspicious request patterns. Additionally, administrators should monitor email server logs for unusual traffic patterns and implement automated alerts for potential abuse. The solution must align with security best practices outlined in standards such as OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, ensuring that the application maintains proper access controls and resource management. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication as an additional layer of security to reduce the impact of potential credential compromise, while regular security audits should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across the application's attack surface.