CVE-2024-28670 in DedeCMS
Summary
by MITRE • 03/13/2024
DedeCMS v5.7 was discovered to contain a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability via /dede/freelist_main.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/15/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-28670 represents a critical Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw within DedeCMS version 5.7, specifically affecting the /dede/freelist_main.php endpoint. This vulnerability resides in the content management system's administrative interface, where unauthorized requests can be forged to execute malicious actions without the victim's consent. The flaw stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms within the affected administrative script, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the CMS system. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in administrative contexts where sensitive operations can be performed, potentially leading to complete system compromise or data manipulation.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the web application's security controls, specifically violating the principle of proper authentication and authorization enforcement. According to CWE-352, this represents a classic Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability where the application lacks sufficient protection against unauthorized commands being issued on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability exists because the freelist_main.php script does not validate the origin or authenticity of requests submitted through the administrative interface, making it susceptible to exploitation through social engineering or by tricking administrators into clicking malicious links. This flaw falls under the ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for Phishing and T1078.004 for Valid Accounts, as it exploits the trust relationship between the administrator and the CMS system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification, as it can enable attackers to perform administrative functions such as creating new user accounts, modifying existing content, deleting files, or even installing malicious code within the CMS environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain persistent access to the administrative interface and potentially escalate privileges to compromise the entire web server hosting the DedeCMS installation. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill and can be automated through social engineering campaigns, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently click on links or visit untrusted websites. The affected administrative functionality in the freelist_main.php endpoint suggests that attackers could manipulate list configurations, potentially leading to information disclosure or denial of service conditions.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the DedeCMS administrative interface. The most effective approach involves incorporating unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that must be validated before any administrative action is processed. Organizations should immediately update to the latest version of DedeCMS where this vulnerability has been patched, as the vendor has likely released security updates addressing the missing validation controls. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect suspicious administrative activities, while web application firewalls can help identify and block malicious CSRF attempts. Additionally, administrative users should be trained to recognize phishing attempts and verify the authenticity of links before clicking, as this vulnerability often relies on social engineering to succeed. The remediation process should include thorough security testing of the administrative interfaces to ensure all endpoints properly validate request authenticity and implement proper session management controls.